Providence, Rhode Island — Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neroha will on Wednesday release the results of a multi-year investigation into child sex abuse in the Providence Diocese.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the report will detail the diocese’s handling of clergy abuse over decades.
While Rhode Island is the smallest state in the United States, it is home to the nation’s largest Catholic population per capita, with nearly 40% of the state identifying as Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center.
Neronha first launched the investigation in 2019, nearly a year later Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report It found that more than 1,000 children had been abused by an estimated 300 priests in that state since the 1940s. The 2018 report is considered one of the most extensive investigations into child sexual abuse in US history.
Neronha’s investigation included entering into an agreement with the Diocese of Providence to access all complaints and allegations of clerical child sexual abuse dating back to 1950. Neronha’s office said in 2019 that the goal of the report was to determine how the diocese responded to past reports of child sexual abuse, identify any prosecutable cases, and ensure that no credibly accused clergy were in active ministry.
Rhode Island State Police also assisted in the investigation.