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

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A new investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, shows that an estimated 75 priests abused more than 300 children since 1950, with the state’s top law enforcement chief warning Wednesday that the scope of the abuse is likely much bigger.

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 be doing more to address child sexual abuse. Yet diocese leaders have pushed back at the conclusions from the report, maintaining there are no “credibly accused clergy in active ministry.”

Here’s what to know about the investigation.

How the diocese handled reports of child abuse

The report described church records as “damning,” declaring that the diocese often failed to take the proper steps to protect children from sexual abuse. While clergy abuse has been widely exposed, up until Wednesday’s report, the scope of what took place in Rhode Island had largely been unknown.

The report flagged that the diocese often transferred 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 have exposed.

This includes the Diocese of Providence opening a “spiritual retreat-style facility” in the early 1950s, where several accused priests were sent elsewhere for a period of time with the goal of returning to work. This practice evolved into sending accused priests to more formal treatment centers after determining clergy abuse may stem from mental health problems.

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

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

Were any of the priests charged

In total, only 20 people — about a quarter of the clergy identified in the report — faced criminal charges, and just 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 stemming from 2020 to 2022.

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

How the diocese responded to the recent report

In a lengthy response, the Diocese of Providence acknowledged that were “serious missteps” made by church leaders in the past, but stressed that the diocese willingly shared internal records under a 2019 agreement with the state.

“The report presents this 75-year history in ways that might lead the reader to conclude these issues are an ongoing diocesan problem or that these are new revelations. They are not,” the statement said.

What the Rhode Island investigation recommends

The state’s report urged clergy leaders to address ongoing concerns about abuse, outlining multiple changes for the diocese, which include providing clear investigative timelines and guidelines.

The report then stressed 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 about priests.

Separately, Neronha called on Rhode Island lawmakers to change various state laws that would remove obstacles for victims in coming forward. He particularly noted that state law currently prevents grand jury reports from becoming public. This meant his office couldn’t use that option to investigate the diocese because he didn’t want the findings to remain secret.

Neronha also recommended that the criminal statute of limitations on second-degree assault should be extended and that the civil statute of limitations on certain child sexual abuse claims should be expanded. Those bills are currently being introduced inside the Democratic-controlled statehouse.