What to know about the investigation into Catholic priests in Rhode Island and sexual abuse charges

PROVIDENCE, RI — A new investigation in the Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, shows that about 75 priests abused more than 300 children since 1950, with the state’s top law enforcement official warning Wednesday that the scale of the abuse was likely much greater.

The report was released by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, whose office has been investigating the diocese since 2019.

According to Neronha, the Church could do more to combat child sexual abuse. Yet diocesan leaders rejected the report’s findings, saying there were no “credibly accused clergy in active ministry.”

Here’s what you need to know about the investigation.

The report calls parish records “damning,” saying the diocese often fails to take appropriate steps to protect children from sexual abuse. While abuse by clergy has been widely denounced, until Wednesday’s report, the extent of what happened in Rhode Island was largely unknown.

The report notes that the diocese often transfers accused priests to new assignments without thoroughly investigating complaints or contacting law enforcement. This practice was common, as other investigations in Boston, Philadelphia, and elsewhere revealed.

This includes the Diocese of Providence opening a “spiritual retreat-type facility” in the early 1950s, where several accused priests were sent elsewhere for a period of time in an effort to return to work. This practice evolved into sending accused priests to more formal treatment centers after determining that clergy abuse could stem from mental health issues.

The report said the diocese’s “overreliance and misplaced confidence” in treatment centers was, at best, “absurdly pollyannaish.”

In the 1990s, accused priests were sometimes placed on sabbatical leave.

In total, only 20 people – about a quarter of the clergy identified in the report – faced criminal charges, and only 14 were convicted. A dozen others were laicized or dismissed from the clerical state.

Neronha’s office has charged four current and former priests with sexual abuse for allegations dating back to 2020 to 2022.

Three of them are still awaiting trial. The fourth priest died after being found incompetent to stand trial in 2022.

In a lengthy response, the Diocese of Providence acknowledged that these were “serious missteps” by church leaders in the past, but emphasized that the diocese voluntarily shared its internal records as part of a 2019 agreement with the state.

“The report presents these 75 years of history in a manner that might lead the reader to conclude that these issues constitute an ongoing diocesan problem or that they are new revelations. This is not the case,” the statement said.

The state report urged clergy leaders to address ongoing concerns about abuse, outlining multiple changes for the diocese, including providing timelines and clear investigation guidelines.

The report then highlights the need for the diocese to abandon the practice of requiring victims to take polygraph tests and to stop refusing to investigate third-party complaints against priests.

Separately, Neronha called on Rhode Island lawmakers to amend various state laws to remove barriers preventing victims from coming forward. He particularly noted that state law currently prevents grand jury reports from being made public. This meant his office could not use this option to investigate the diocese because he did not want the findings to remain secret.

Neronha also recommended that the criminal statute of limitations for second-degree assault be extended and that the civil statute of limitations for certain child sexual abuse claims be expanded. These bills are currently being introduced in the Democratic-controlled state.