RHODE ISLAND
NBC 10
[Response from the Providence diocese]
Updated: Nov 18, 2013
By Katie Davis
PROVIDENCE –
Three Roman Catholic priests were forced out of Rhode Island parishes in the last year and a half.
All of them were credibly accused of sexually abusing children.
In each case, a letter detailing allegations of sexual abuse was sent to Rhode Island State Police by the Diocese of Providence.
The diocese began the practice around 2003, although there’s no legal mandate requiring the letters.
So the NBC 10 I-Team wondered, how many other letters are out there? And what do the documents say?
To find out, the I-Team began a series of public records requests over a six-month period, asking state police to search its files.
The I-Team found 88 pages detailing sexual abuse by Rhode Island priests, going back more than 30 years. A total of 45 letters were sent to state police between 2003 and 2013.
The documents were heavily redacted by state police. …
“The letters were heavily redacted. Effort was made so that you couldn’t even understand what year it took place, or what parish it took place in or what town,” said Anne Barrett Doyle.
Barrett Doyle heads Bishop Accountability, a watchdog group that collects and publishes documents about priest sexual abuse. She worries some of the priests described in the letters could still be working in Rhode Island churches.
“Even if the statute of limitations has expired on some of these alleged crimes, the diocese is under a moral imperative to remove priests suspected of misconduct from the ministry,” Barrett Doyle said.
The diocese said in a statement it has been and continues to be very aggressive in responding to allegations of sexual abuse of minors, while respecting the rights of all involved parties.
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