Posted on 03/04/2026 9:29:55 PM PST by chickenlips
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Attorney General Peter Neronha released a sweeping report Wednesday detailing decades of child sexual abuse and systemic coverup within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, identifying 72 clergy members as “credibly accused” of misconduct.
The report is the culmination of a yearslong investigation stemming from a 2019 agreement between the state’s top prosecutor and former Bishop Thomas Tobin. The agreement granted state investigators unprecedented access to the church’s “secret archives,” personnel files and internal records dating back to 1950.
“Generations of Rhode Island victims, their families and others who have suffered the impacts of this trauma deserve to know the truth of what occurred,” Neronha wrote in the report, describing the abuse as a “sordid and shameful history” spanning decades in communities across the state.
The investigation did not produce evidence of any recent child sexual misconduct by clergy, and no new criminal charges were announced Wednesday. The most recent known incident of misconduct in the diocese was in 2011, according to the report.
However, Neronha said the investigation led state prosecutors to bring criminal charges against four current and former priests for suspected child sexual abuse while working in the diocese.
The Revs. John Petrocelli, James Silva and Kevin Fisette were indicted during the investigation and are awaiting trial. The fourth clergyman, the Rev. Edward Kelley, was declared incompetent to stand trial and died at the state psychiatric hospital in 2022, according to the report.
The men with the pending cases are not included on the list of 72 clergy members credibly accused. There are more than 300 documented victims.
(Excerpt) Read more at wpri.com ...
1Co 7:9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Child molesters ought to face the death penalty or life in prison with no parole. End of story.
Been known for decades and it just keeps going. It is the power structure.
Nothing reported in the last 15 years, so that’s something, but the offenses and coverup should have never happened.
The boy raping community has gravitated towards the Catholic Cult for centuries because of the cover it gave them by not allowing priest to marry. It didn’t help that it gave them unfettered access to fresh young quire boys . It’s clear that Satan has own the Catholic cult for a very long time and that Epstein’s Island, as bad as it was, paled in comparison to the Vatican.
Nothing reported really doesn't mean much than nothing was reported.
All we can do is hope that means there was nothing to report as opposed to just a more skillful coverup.
Shouldn’t the word “Catholic” be in the headline?
On the other hand 72 public school teachers sexually abuse children everyday. Mostly women too. Where’s the outrage?
Such a typical response.. public educators do not call themselves ‘holy father’.. I was especially impressed when the Jay boys deemed boys after puberty as equals to the pervert priests.. NOT.
The Left wants Catholics to tolerate LGBQ+ behavior, but when Catholics commit that behavior, the Left says it is a moral defect and pretends to be shocked.
Jmt - you hit on a profound theological nerve regarding the titles we use. When we call a priest ‘Father,’ it implies a paternal, spiritual protection. The betrayal isn’t just ‘professional misconduct’; it is spiritual incest. By claiming to act in persona Christi (in the person of Christ) while committing these acts, these men didn’t just hurt children—they obscured the face of God for those children. We cannot claim a ‘higher calling’ for our clergy and then point to ‘secular standards’ the moment they fail. If we want the world to respect the sanctity of the priesthood, we must hold it to a standard far higher than that of a public school system.
It is important to distinguish between the sinfulness of men and the sanctity of the Church’s mission.
You mentioned the title ‘Holy Father’ (usually reserved for the Pope) and the title ‘Father’ for priests. We don’t use these titles because we believe these men are inherently sinless; we use them because of the office they hold.
The fact that people are so outraged proves that the Catholic standard for the priesthood is the highest in the world. We don’t defend the predator; we defend the Priesthood by demanding that those who dishonor the ‘Fatherhood’ of God be removed. Unlike a secular job, this is a vocation, and the Church has the right—and duty—to protect that sacred identity.
Regarding the John Jay study: the intent was never to ‘excuse’ the abuse of post-pubescent boys, but to diagnose the problem so it could be fixed. The Church commissioned that report to understand the psychological profiles of offenders. Understanding that the majority of cases involved post-pubescent minors doesn’t make the crime ‘legal’ or ‘okay’ in Catholic eyes—it’s still a mortal sin and a crime. However, the Church used that data to create the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which is now considered the ‘gold standard’ for safeguarding.
While critics point to the past, the Catholic Church today has some of the most rigorous background checks, ‘Safe Environment’ training, and mandatory reporting policies in existence—often far stricter than those in public schools or independent congregations.
We aren’t ‘deflecting’ when we mention other institutions; we are pointing out that the Catholic Church has actually done the hard work of internal investigation and public transparency that many other groups have yet to start. We are facing our shadows in the light of day.
We defend the Church because it is the Mystical Body of Christ, not a social club. The betrayal of a few (or even many) doesn’t invalidate the Sacraments, the Eucharist, or the 2,000 years of saints and charity the Church has provided to the world. We stay to clean the house because it is our home, and it belongs to Christ, not the criminals.”
The word ‘Diocese’ in the headline already identifies this as Catholic. We don’t hide from that name because we don’t hide from the truth.
While many other organizations and denominations deal with these tragedies behind closed doors, the Catholic Church in Providence cooperated fully to bring these decades-old records to light. We are the only global institution that has implemented a uniform, ‘zero-tolerance’ standard like the Dallas Charter, which has become the gold standard for child protection worldwide.
We aren’t afraid of the headline because we are the ones doing the work to fix it. We defend the Church not by denying the past, but by leading the way in transparency and reform today
As you correctly point out, the Catholic Church should be held to HIGHER standards because it is the Church founded by Christ, so it cannot be compared to the various denominations etc. who were founded by men (or women) in the past couple of hundred years
Said it many times but the church should be seeking out, castrating and then crucifying these sick perverts on an upside down cross instead continually paying out for the crimes.
End the problem instead of trying to hide it. Anyone trying to hide it should be dealt with the same way.
When you have a problem FIX IT.
Tony - calling the Church founded by Jesus Christ a ‘cult’ doesn’t make your argument stronger; it just reveals your ignorance of the bible, history and theology
To blame celibacy for abuse is scientifically and statistically illiterate. Decades of independent data—including the John Jay Report and secular psychological studies—have proven there is no causal link between celibacy and pedophilia. In fact, the vast majority of child abuse globally is committed by married men. If marriage were a ‘cure’ for predation, the public school system and various Protestant denominations wouldn’t be currently drowning in their own abuse scandals and lawsuits.
You claim Satan ‘owns’ the Vatican?
That is a historical absurdity. It is the Catholic Church—and only the Catholic Church—that fulfilled the Great Commission for 1,900 years before your denomination even existed. From the Apostles to the martyrs, it was the Catholic Church that tamed empires, converted entire continents, and brought the Gospel to every corner of the earth. If the Church were a ‘satanic’ front, it wouldn’t be the world’s greatest engine for converting souls to Jesus Christ and the sole protector of the Bible you read today.
We defend the Church because she is the Bride of Christ. Some of her members have failed, but the mission to spread the Gospel and baptize the nations remains unshaken.
Can your denomination of one say they’ve done the same work of repentance and global mission?”
The reason these offenses happened—and were covered up—was a misplaced, era-specific reliance on secular psychiatry. In those decades, many institutions (including schools and various denominations) wrongly believed that predatory behavior was a ‘treatable’ psychological condition rather than a permanent character defect. Leaders mistakenly followed the advice of clinical ‘experts’ who recommended therapy and reassignment rather than immediate laicization and criminal reporting.
The 15-year gap in new reports is the direct result of the Church rejecting that failed model. In 2002, the Church codified the ‘Dallas Charter,’ establishing a strict, uniform ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy. We didn’t just ‘stop’ the behavior; we fundamentally changed how we vet, monitor, and hold every member of the clergy accountable to the law and the flock. Today, the Church is arguably the safest environment for children because we’ve moved from relying on flawed psychological theories to absolute accountability.
As the Church founded by Christ we must be held to a higher standard than modern groups founded in the past 100 odd years, forget about being held to a higher standard than secular groups.
Yup, I fully agree that that these crimes are utterly and totally heinous, which is why we’ve moved from ‘managing’ offenders to expelling them. Since the 2002 Dallas Charter, the Church has implemented a ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy: any cleric with a single credible accusation is permanently removed from ministry.
the Church doesn’t ‘pay out’ to hide the problem; we provide restitution to victims while ensuring the predator never has access to a child again. By cooperating with authorities and opening our archives, the Church is doing exactly what you asked—fixing the problem by bringing it into the light of the law.
Church gives them allbtheir records, listing the sad details for the DA. DA says disgusting for the headlines. Shocker, they just told you that, moron!
More malarkey. If it wasn’t the bad guys in the Church, now it’s the self-gratificationers in the DA office. Nothing can be done now, all dead.
God will judge properly.
Satan perverts everything good, even your family cult.
That’s the entire history of the jews, and subsequent Christianity. We need God’s help for when we don’t put God first, we put another idol first...sex gratification, alcohol, food, power, porn, fame, pride, power, money.
That priests were subject to the same rule ought suprise no honest man. That a Church based on Mercy and forgiveness woulld lise its way regarding such is no suprise either, making diligence all the more critical and HERE it failed many kids and must keep working harder to guard against....satan, man, concupisence.
But scoffing sets the self up for a fall.
yes and yet Catholics still give $$ to the church.
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