A bombshell report from Rhode Island’s Attorney General has laid bare decades of child sexual abuse inside the Catholic Diocese of Providence — identifying 75 clergy members credibly accused of abusing more than 300 children and accusing church leaders of protecting priests instead of protecting kids.
The sweeping investigation, launched in 2019, reviewed more than 250,000 pages of church records dating back to 1950, exposing what investigators described as a culture of secrecy, denial and cover-ups inside one of the most powerful institutions in Rhode Island.
Investigators concluded diocesan leaders often moved accused priests between parishes, sent them to treatment centers, or quietly removed them from public view — rather than reporting allegations to police.
The result, the report says, was that predator priests were allowed to remain in ministry and continue abusing children.
The investigation identified 75 clergy — including diocesan priests, deacons and members of religious orders — who were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors during the review period.
Authorities say the true number of victims is likely far higher, since many survivors never come forward or wait decades to disclose abuse.
The probe also led to criminal charges against four priests — John Petrocelli, James Silva, Kevin Fisette and Edward Kelley — with Petrocelli, Silva and Fisette still awaiting trial in Rhode Island courts. Kelley was later found incompetent to stand trial and died in 2022.
But in most cases, prosecutors say they were blocked by statutes of limitations because the abuse happened decades ago.
Full list of clergy credibly accused
Joseph Abruzzese
John Allard
Roger C. Argencourt
Daniel Azzarone
Robert (aka Peter) Barnes
Francis Xavier Battel
Roger Belhumeur
Mario Bordinini
Dennis Brodeur
James Campbell
Robert Carpenter
Vincent Cavanaugh
Paul Charland
Eugene Corbser
John Crafton
Joseph D’Angelis
Anthony DeAngelis
Norman Demers
Alfred Desrosiers
Paul Desrosiers
Louis Diogo
Charles Dolan
John Doran
Louis Dunn
Michael W. Dziob
Raphael Edes
John Joseph Keough Feeney
Oscar Ferlard
John Ferry
Edmund Fitzgerald
John H. Flanagan
Laurence Gagnon (Deacon)
William Gillooly
Timothy Gorton
Rene Guertin
Richard Holden
James Jackson
Edward Kelley
Joseph Gerard Raymond Lacasse
Michael LaMountain
Norman Leboeuf
Paul Henry Lech
Roland Lepire
Alfred Lonardo
Philip Magaldi
Thomas Dente Kofi Manu
Robert Marcantonio
Joseph McCra
Robert McIntyre
Barry Meehan
Richard Meglio
Adrien Menard
Edmond Miccichelli
William O’Connell
John Francis O’Neil
William O’Neill
John Powers
Hugh Rafferty
William Raiche
Paul F. Reynolds
Joseph Rocha
Edward Sadowski (Deacon)
Alfred Santagata
Francis Santilli
Peter Scagnelli
John Gerard Brendan Smyth
William Tanguay
Peter J. Tedeschi
John Tormey
Paul Tousignant
Biagio Samuel Turillo
Armand Ventre
Church accused of protecting priests
Attorney General Peter Neronha said the report confirms what many survivors already knew.
“For decades, when faced with credible allegations of abuse, diocesan leaders focused on protecting priests and the reputation of the Church rather than protecting children,” the report states.
Investigators say the Diocese often failed to report allegations to law enforcement and sometimes used vague language to downplay accusations.
Abuse likely far wider
The investigation contacted nearly 150 survivors and attempted to reach more than 300 potential victims.
Officials say the real number of victims could be much larger, because many survivors never reported the abuse — or died before telling their stories.
The report also lists clergy who served in Rhode Island but were accused of abuse in other dioceses, underscoring how widely abusive priests were transferred between institutions.
The report also highlights clergy connected to Portsmouth Abbey, the prestigious Benedictine school and monastery in Portsmouth. Two Benedictine monks who served there — Father Geoffrey Chase and Father Bede Gorman — have been publicly identified as credibly accused of abusing minors. According to the Attorney General’s report, Chase served at Portsmouth Abbey from 1960 to 2002, while Gorman served there from 1944 to 1985. Investigators noted that allegations involving both priests were identified through reviews conducted by Portsmouth Abbey and its affiliated religious order, though authorities said they were unable to independently verify all of the claims in Rhode Island.
The report also lists Father Aaron Joseph Cote, a Dominican friar who served at St. Pius V Church in Providence from 2003 to 2005, as well as several other religious-order priests who worked in Rhode Island but were accused of abuse elsewhere.
What happens next
The report calls for major reforms, including:
– expanded monitoring of accused clergy
– stronger internal investigations
– greater transparency
– expanded legal accountability for institutions
It also urges lawmakers to expand statutes of limitations so more victims can pursue justice.
For many survivors, however, the report confirms a painful truth: the damage was done decades ago — and many of the men accused will never face trial.
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