In the US state of Rhode Island, a multi-year investigation has uncovered widespread cases of sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests. According to prosecutors, church leaders covered up these crimes for decades to avoid reputational damage.
This is stated in a report released by state Attorney General Peter Nerogna following the investigation.
Investigators have found that since 1950, at least 75 members of the Catholic clergy have sexually abused more than 300 children. At the same time, law enforcement officials suggest that the real number of victims may be much higher.
Internal church documents show that instead of transferring cases to the police, suspected priests were often transferred to other parishes or sent for “treatment” to special spiritual centers or medical institutions. In some cases, they were simply sent on long vacations.
For example, Father Robert Carpentier left the ministry after a victim’s 1992 statement about sexual abuse that occurred in the 1970s, when she was 13 years old. He admitted this fact, underwent treatment, and later retired and received support from the diocese until his death in 2012.
In total, only 20 clergymen were charged, of whom 14 were convicted. Several others were stripped of their rank or removed from ministry. One of the victims said that he had been subjected to harassment and rape by the rector of his church for more than a year.
“He always told me, ‘You need a hug.’” And I still hear those words very clearly,” the victim said during a conversation with investigators.
Despite the fact that the church commission found the allegations against Monsignor John Allard credible, the Vatican allowed him to retire instead of being defrocked. The prosecutor’s office called on the church leadership to strengthen investigations into such cases, establish clear rules for handling complaints, and stop the practice of testing victims with polygraphs.
The diocese said that the report was made possible thanks to the church’s cooperation with the investigation, but disagreed with some of the prosecutor’s conclusions.
