Rhode Island's top prosecutor will publish findings Wednesday from a years-long probe into sexual abuse within the state's Catholic diocese. The investigation examined how church officials handled abuse allegations spanning decades.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — State Attorney General Peter Neronha plans to publish Wednesday the results of an extensive multi-year probe examining sexual abuse of children within the Diocese of Providence.
The attorney general’s office says the findings will outline how diocese leadership managed clergy abuse cases spanning multiple decades.
Despite being the nation’s smallest state by area, Rhode Island has the highest concentration of Catholics in the country, with close to 40% of residents identifying with the faith, data from the Pew Research Center shows.
The investigation began in 2019 under Neronha’s direction, launched roughly one year following a Pennsylvania grand jury’s findings that over 1,000 children suffered abuse at the hands of approximately 300 priests since the 1940s. That 2018 Pennsylvania investigation stands as among the most comprehensive examinations of child sexual abuse within the United States.
Neronha’s team worked under a special arrangement with the Diocese of Providence that provided investigators complete access to all abuse complaints and accusations involving clergy members from 1950 forward. Officials stated in 2019 that the investigation aimed to examine the diocese’s response to historical abuse reports, identify potential criminal cases, and verify that no clergy with credible accusations remained in active service.
The Rhode Island State Police provided assistance throughout the investigation process.
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