The first comprehensive, independent audit of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence shows an all-too-familiar pattern in historic cases of sexual abuse.
“The hard truth is this,” the report concludes, “for decades, the Diocese sought to minimize, contain, and conceal clergy child sexual abuse within its ranks, and prioritized its own reputation, and the accused clergy, at the expense of victims.”
The first comprehensive, independent audit of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence shows an all-too-familiar pattern in historic cases of sexual abuse.
“The hard truth is this,” the report concludes, “for decades, the Diocese sought to minimize, contain, and conceal clergy child sexual abuse within its ranks, and prioritized its own reputation, and the accused clergy, at the expense of victims.”
The report, released publicly on Wednesday at a news conference by Attorney General Peter Neronha, is significant not just because of damning details about the abuse and cover-up, but also because Rhode Island is the nation’s most Catholic state, per capita. Nearly 40% of Rhode Islanders identify as Catholic.
The investigation led to the arrests of several clergy, but did not uncover evidence of recent sexual abuse.
The report identifies 75 credibly accused clergy members who, in total, abused more than 300 victims between 1950 and 2011 according to Diocesan records. Twenty of these names were not publicly identified on the Diocese’s own Credibly Accused Clergy list.
Despite turning over church documents half a dozen years ago, the Diocese refused the attorney general’s requests to interview Diocesan personnel who oversaw the handling of abuse investigations, according to the report.
Bishop Bruce Lewandowski apologized to survivors in a video response to the report.
“I ask you to pray for them,” Lewandowski said in the video. “I am praying for them, and I pledge to continue our support for them through the ministry of our Office of Outreach and Victim Assistance Programs.”
In a statement accompanying the video message, the Diocese said the report does not include accusations against current clergy or instances of the diocese failing to meet its legal responsibilities.
“Beginning more than 30 years ago, and improved throughout the following years, the diocese can confidently say that our protections for children have proven to be overwhelmingly effective,” the diocese said.
Neronha said that while many of the individual stories laid out in his investigation were previously known, the report lays out the abuse crisis more comprehensively and in more detail than ever before.
“The public deserves to know the whole story,” Neronha said. “The whole story from 1950 to 2026. To see it all, in its raw emotion and horror and impact.”
‘We must by all means avoid scandal’
The attorney general’s report says that for years, successive bishops focused more on protecting the Church rather than holding credibly accused priests accountable. Nearly 40 suspected abusers were transferred at least 5 times during their Diocesan careers, some of them 10 times or more, according to the report.
The most prolific of these alleged abusers, according to the report, were William O’Connell, Brendan Smyth, Robert Marcantonio, Edmond Micarelli, and Michael LaMountain. Just these five priests were accused of sexually abusing a combined total of 85 children.
And, the report says, the prelates repeatedly turned a blind eye to the problem.
“We must by all means avoid scandal,” Bishop Russell McVinney wrote to a colleague in 1971 regarding alleged serial abuser Father Marcantonio.
“I certainly want to avoid any further scandal,” Bishop Louis Gelineau wrote to a nun in 1986, urging her to keep quiet.
While Neronha’s report looked at historic cases of abuse dating back to 1950, its findings have already sparked four new indictments. Three of the men — John Petrocelli, James Silva, and Kevin Fisette — are currently awaiting trial. The fourth, Edward Kelley, was declared incompetent to stand trial and died in 2022.
Neronha acknowledged that over the decades, the Diocese had taken steps to better protect children, but said his investigation could still lead to both justice and further improvement.
“There’s no question that the risk to children today is much lower than it was,” Neronha said. “But the public deserves to know the truth. And they deserve to know it as a complete story.”
This story has been updated with response from the Diocese of Providence, and will continue to be updated.
This story was originally published by Ocean State Media. It was shared as part of the New England News Collaborative.