#USA #RhodeIsland – Rhode Island Attorney General has released an investigation report on clergy-perpetrated child sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Providence. The investigation identified 75 clergy members who had abused more than 300 victims since the 1950s.
The investigation began in July 2019 and is based on a review of 250,000 pages of Diocesan documents, law enforcement records, interviews, and other sources going as far back as the 1950s. All Diocesan documents were voluntarily provided.
The investigation identified 61 Diocesan priests, 13 Religious priests, and 1 Diocesan deacon who had reportedly abused more than 300 child victims. The total number was believed to be higher due to many unreported cases.
The report detailed a systemic pattern of concealment and institutional failure by Diocesan leadership who prioritized protecting institutional reputation over the victims.
The shortcomings of the Diocese in handling these abuse cases included failure to notify law enforcement consistently, inadequate internal investigation, transferring accused priests to other parishes, and failure to remove accused persons from ministry.
Only 20/75 clergy members (26%) identified ever faced criminal charges, and only 14 faced convictions. The investigation itself was able to identify and charge four current/former priests, one of whom died while awaiting trial while the other three still wait trial.
The report identified significant gaps in Diocesan safe environment policies and procedures, as well as provided recommendations on better transparency, accountability, and child protection measures.
Rhode Island has one of the highest Catholic populations per capita in the United States with over 39% of its residents identifying as Catholic. The 2024 federal census estimated more than 1,100,000 persons presently live in Rhode Island.
References: https://riag.ri.gov/diocese-report
Image: The Cathedral of Saint Peter and Paul in Providence, Rhode Island, where the seat of the Archbishop of Providence is held.
