Catholic Church Accused of Covering Up Abuse of 300 Children in Explosive 75-Year Scandal

A sweeping investigation has uncovered decades of alleged abuse and cover-ups inside Rhode Island’s Catholic Church, with more than 300 children reportedly victimized by clergy over a period spanning three-quarters of a century.

The bombshell findings were released Wednesday by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha after a multi-year investigation into the Diocese of Providence. The report paints a troubling picture of priests accused of abusing minors while church leaders allegedly prioritized protecting the institution’s reputation.

Investigators say at least 75 Catholic clergy members abused children in Rhode Island dating back to 1950. Officials believe the real number of victims may be far higher.

“The full scope of the problem likely exceeds what we were able to document,” Neronha wrote in the report. “For decades, these crimes were hidden, minimized, or quietly handled inside church walls.”

Rhode Island has one of the highest Catholic populations in the United States, with nearly 40 percent of residents identifying as Catholic. That deep connection between the church and the community made the revelations even more painful for survivors.

For years, abuse complaints were often handled internally rather than reported to law enforcement, according to investigators. In some cases, priests accused of misconduct were simply reassigned to new parishes.

The report says the diocese also created a retreat-style facility in the 1950s where priests accused of sexual abuse could seek treatment. Later, clergy were sent to specialized therapy programs once church officials began describing the behavior as a psychological disorder.

Critics argue the approach allowed many accused priests to avoid criminal consequences.

Only about 20 clergy members named in the investigation were ever charged with crimes. Just 14 were ultimately convicted. Several others were quietly removed from ministry, while some remained active for years after complaints surfaced.

One example cited in the report involves Father Robert Carpentier. A victim reported in 1992 that Carpentier had sexually abused him in the 1970s when he was just 13 years old. Carpentier admitted the abuse and was sent to treatment before eventually going on sabbatical.

He later retired and continued receiving support from the diocese until his death in 2012.

The report also includes disturbing testimony from survivors.

One man said he was groomed for more than a year by the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Cranston before the abuse began. The survivor told investigators that the priest, Monsignor John Allard, frequently told him, “You need a hug.”

The abuse allegedly began when the boy reached ninth grade.

A church review board later determined the allegations were credible. But the Vatican allowed Allard to retire rather than be formally removed from the priesthood.

Investigators also discovered a troubling conflict inside the church’s own oversight system. At one point, a member of the diocesan review board responsible for evaluating abuse complaints was himself accused of misconduct.

The priest, Rev. Francis Santilli, stepped down from the board after the allegation. However, he reportedly remained in ministry for years, even after additional complaints surfaced.

He was not removed from ministry until 2022.

Neronha launched the investigation in 2019 following the release of a landmark Pennsylvania grand jury report that documented widespread clergy abuse across that state.

Rhode Island law prevented prosecutors from releasing a similar grand jury report. Instead, the attorney general negotiated an agreement with the Diocese of Providence to access decades of church records.

The church ultimately handed over roughly 70 years of internal documents, including abuse complaints, treatment records, and settlement information.

Still, Neronha said the diocese did not fully cooperate with investigators.

“It repeatedly refused my team’s requests for interviews with diocesan personnel responsible for overseeing these investigations,” he wrote.

Church officials pushed back on that claim.

In a statement, the Diocese of Providence said the report was only possible because the church voluntarily provided access to confidential records.

“The very existence of the Attorney General’s report is the result of the Diocese of Providence’s unprecedented and voluntary agreement to extraordinary transparency,” the statement said.

The diocese also emphasized that many of the cases described occurred decades ago and insisted the church has since implemented reforms designed to protect children.

Neronha acknowledged the steps but said accountability is still overdue.

“Transparency and truth are the first steps toward justice,” he wrote. “For survivors, those steps have been a long time coming.”

Today, four priests connected to more recent abuse allegations are facing criminal charges. Three of them are still awaiting trial.

For many survivors, the report confirms what they have been saying for years.

And for Rhode Island’s Catholic community, it opens a painful chapter that investigators say can no longer be ignored.