Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha has released a comprehensive report detailing sexual abuse by clergy in the Diocese of Providence, concluding a six-year review of church records dating back to 1950. The 284-page document, made public on March 4, identifies 75 clergy members who were credibly accused of abusing more than 300 victims between 1950 and 2011. Of those accused, there are 61 diocesan priests and deacons, 13 religious order members, and one extern priest.
Four current and former priests face criminal charges as a result of investigations during this period; three await trial and are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The report includes several recommendations for both diocesan and legal reforms aimed at preventing future abuse and addressing past incidents. These proposals include establishing an independent survivor compensation fund, expanding background checks for all clergy nationwide, creating an online database for diocesan records related to abuse cases, improving internal investigations policies, and updating agreements with law enforcement to broaden reporting requirements.
In response to the report’s release, Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski of Providence issued a video message stating: “What I share with you today is far from new, but each time we hear about it, the trauma and pain are made real once again for victims-survivors and their loved ones.” He continued: “I take this opportunity to apologize to the victim-survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy for the failures of Church personnel and others in past decades to protect them and keep them safe.”
The diocese also posted its own statement acknowledging the severity of child abuse: “Nothing in this response to the Attorney General’s Report should be viewed in any way as questioning or diminishing the real pain felt by victims or downplaying the missteps of church leaders in their very early responses to this crisis,” it said. However, church officials emphasized that cooperation with state authorities began voluntarily through a memorandum signed in 2019 under then-Bishop Thomas J. Tobin.
The diocese disputed suggestions that recent indictments stemmed solely from Neronha’s inquiry. According to their statement, they had engaged with victims and law enforcement long before formal charges were filed against accused clergy.
Officials also clarified that most cases referenced in the report occurred decades ago—in the 1960s through 1980s—and have already been addressed publicly through civil litigation or media coverage.
Attorney General Neronha challenged efforts to characterize clerical sexual abuse as only a historical issue: “The Diocese would have you believe that this report is historical; that child sexual abuse by clergy members is a thing of the past and not worth drudging up. To that I say: the pain that survivors and their families suffer knows no statute of limitations, and history always has something to teach us.”
Bishop Lewandowski acknowledged ongoing harm caused by these abuses: “We know and understand that the effects of abuse, even from many decades past, can persist, as if the abuse occurred yesterday.” He added: “We failed them… Their faith in God and His Church has been shaken and even lost.”
Neronha described what he called an extensive pattern within the diocese: “Clergy sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence occurred on an abhorrent, staggering scale” where leadership prioritized institutional reputation over children’s welfare.
Diocesan representatives stressed there is no evidence of recent child sexual abuse by clergy in Rhode Island. They highlighted existing safety protocols which predate national standards set by U.S. bishops in 2002. Bishop Lewandowski stated: “There are no credibly accused clergy in active ministry. Today’s Catholic clergy here in Rhode Island are good and holy men… serving Christ and His people with devotion.” He pledged continued adherence to safety protocols.
The diocese further argued that contemporary criticism sometimes applies modern expectations retroactively—judging decisions made decades ago based on present-day standards—and noted procedures like medical evaluations were once common practice across institutions including judicial systems.
Additionally, diocesan officials suggested that releasing findings without prior review may have influenced current legislative debates regarding lookback laws for civil suits—measures which have led other U.S. dioceses into bankruptcy settlements with survivors.
Among his recommendations for broader reform beyond church policy changes alone, Neronha called on lawmakers to expand statutes governing grand jury reports so findings could be made public even without indictments—a process modeled after Pennsylvania’s landmark investigation into clerical sex abuse released in 2018—and amend both civil claim deadlines as well as mandatory reporting rules concerning suspected child abuse within religious organizations.
Concluding its response statement about ongoing child protection efforts begun three decades earlier (before many national reforms), diocesan leadership said: “Results happen when everyone with an interest in protecting children works together cooperatively…with genuine compassion.”
