Diocese Hid Abuse: Defend Children’s Rights
Liberty Check
- Over 300 children victimized by 75 clergy from 1950-2011.
- Diocese shuffled abusers, underreported crimes, resisted probe.
- Three charged; victims demand constitutional justice.
A Rhode Island Attorney General report accuses the Catholic Diocese of Providence of covering up clergy sexual abuse affecting more than 300 victims aged 11-14 mostly, with a 5:1 male ratio.
Seventy-five priests identified; charges filed against John Petrocelli for molesting three boys under 14, James Silva for repeated assaults on one boy, and Kevin Fisette for first-degree child molestation.
Former priest Edward Kelley died after indictment, charges dismissed.
Diocese allegedly transferred 39 clergy five-plus times, sent 21 to treatment, and poorly reported: 65 complaints 1990-1999 yielded only five police referrals; 46 in 2000s got 23; 55 in 2010s got 47.
Democratic AG Peter Neronha blasted the diocese’s secrecy.
“[T]he Diocese kept the abuse secret; they hid and they obfuscated. And while the situation has improved in recent years, there remains work to be done. When my Office asked Diocesan representatives to engage in the investigatory process in person, they repeatedly refused. When my Office requested supplemental documents, they frequently dragged their feet. Their tendency to reflexively turn inward is part of what perpetuated this crisis, and I’m not sure if all of the lessons have been learned,” he stated.
“To this day, survivors of Diocesan clergy abuse continue to come forward, and they deserve justice. As such, we’ve made targeted recommendations to help them obtain that justice, including a recommendation that the Diocese fund an independent compensation program, as many other dioceses have, as well as a recommendation for the General Assembly to expand the statute of limitations for civil claims against institutional defendants. For survivors, and for our future, I urge the Diocese and the General Assembly to implement these and our other proposals. This must never happen again,” Neronha added.
Rhode Island holds the highest per capita Catholic population near 40%.
Conservatives must champion transparency and accountability to shield families and enforce constitutional protections for the innocent.
Americans deserve better.
