Crimes and Cover-Ups: The Rhode Island Clergy Report
After six and a half years of investigation, the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General released its Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Providence. This explosive report proves that leaders of the Diocese chose to protect predators instead of vulnerable children, allowing decades of continued sexual abuse to occur. In a state with the highest percentage of Catholic residents (nearly 40%), the betrayal of trust cannot be understated. To quote Attorney General Peter Neronha: “Nothing explains it, nothing justifies it.”
“Horrific” Findings
The numbers uncovered by this report are staggering:
- The Report named 39 accused priests in the diocese; more than double the Diocese of Providence’s list of 19 priests credibly accused of child sexual abuse.
- 75 total clergy have been identified in claims of child sexual abuse.
- Over 300 complaints of child sexual abuse to the Diocese went largely ignored.
- One priest, William O’Connell, sexually abused at least 23 children across the state before being removed from ministry.
- Three priests, Fr. John Petrocelli, Fr. James Silva, and Fr. Kevin Fisette, have been arrested as a direct result of the AG report.
The report also revealed that there are nine accused individuals who have not been removed as clergy, only retired or suspended, and are still receiving benefits from the Diocese. Below are the names of those alleged abusers and where they are thought to be residing.
Fr. Joseph Abruzzese: Kent County
Fr. Paul Charland: Kent County
Deacon Edward Sadowski: Kent County
Fr. Kevin Fisette: Northeastern County
Fr. Paul Henry Leech: Monroe County
Fr. Richard Meglio: Providence Country
Fr. John Petrocelli: Providence Country
Fr. Francis Santilli: Providence Country
Fr. William Tanguay: Providence Country
“This is NOT a historical problem.” – Attorney General Peter Neronha, on the Diocese protecting an abusive priest, Fr. Santilli, in 2021
Silencing Survivors
According to the report, “The driving force [behind the Church’s actions] was to avoid scandal”. The Catholic Church has a long history of suppressing the voices of survivors and using its influence to cover up abuse. The Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Providence paints a disturbing picture of some of the tactics employed by the Diocese to avoid scandal and protect its reputation.
One common tactic involves offering to pay for survivors’ therapy sessions in exchange for secrecy. The Diocese of Providence went a step further, however, and also demanded all of the survivor’s medical records be sent to them immediately after a record’s creation. This allowed the Diocese to ensure that abuse wasn’t reported while simultaneously using claimed concern as a tool to gather survivors’ confidential medical information.
The Diocese also subjects survivors, to this day, to the inadmissible and unreliable practice of polygraph testing. Polygraph exams involve subjects being attached to wires to determine whether they are dishonest. This practice retraumatizes survivors, and treats them like a suspect instead of a victim.
Protection of Abusive Priests
In contrast, the Catholic Church has used its full power and authority to protect priests accused of sexually abusing children. The report revealed that the Diocese of Providence still has (as of 2022) a “Special Assignment Fund” that is used to pay salaries, rent, and insurance of priests removed from active ministry due to the sexual abuse of children. This means that parishioner donated funds are going directly to maintaining the lifestyles of accused child molesters.
An important aspect of this report is that, due to an interesting legal loophole, the Attorney General can only access documents voluntarily given by the Diocese of Providence. Lawyers and police officers are not allowed to seize any diocesan documents, interview any clergy members, or inquire about denial of requests. This means that this report only includes the abuse and cover-ups that the Diocese is comfortable with people discovering. If all of these horrific details are only the tip of the iceberg, what else remains hidden from the public?
The Diocese also took other actions to protect themselves, such as ending all survivor compensation programs in 2007, severing any ability for survivors to seek civil justice besides suing the Catholic Church.
“The Diocese is more concerned with money than they are about compensating victims.” – Attorney General Peter Neronha
How the Report Helps Survivors
The AG’s report unveiled horrific crimes and cover-ups. By shedding light on the crimes of the Diocese, this report validates the experiences of hundreds of survivors. It also creates public awareness of the horrific crimes and cover ups. This has sparked public demands that the church take full accountability and create policies to prevent further abuse from occurring.
Unfortunately, due to a harsh statute of limitations in child sexual abuse cases, many survivors are denied justice under the current laws to the benefit of their abusers and the institutions that failed to protect them as children. However, there is hope. A recent bill was introduced in the Rhode Island General Assembly that allow survivors to seek justice in civil court, regardless of how long ago they were abused, if they brought their lawsuits within a particular window of time. We have seen similar states allow survivors to seek long-withheld justice, such as the New York Child Victims Act and the California Child Victims Act.
If you or someone you know have any information about child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence, contact the Attorney General’s Office and the police immediately.