RHODE ISLAND
ABC 6
By: The Associated Press
news@abc6.com
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence agreed on Wednesday to report all allegations of clergy sexual abuse of children to the attorney general’s office.
A letter of understanding was announced saying that the diocese will report abuse allegations to the attorney general’s office in addition to state police.
Authorities say the previous practice was reporting it only to police.
Attorney General Peter Kilmartin says the agreement will guarantee greater transparency.
Anne Barrett Doyle, with BishopAccountability.org, which tracks the global clergy abuse scandal, says the agreement is better than nothing.
But Barrett Doyle says it falls short because it doesn’t bar the diocese from interviewing victims or subjecting them to polygraph tests, which she says has been done before.
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