PROVIDENCE (RI)
WJAR Channel 10
December 7, 2018
By Katie Davis
Bishop Thomas Tobin spoke with NBC 10’s Gene Valicenti about the Catholic Church’s ongoing sex abuse scandal during a taping of 10 News Conference Friday.
Before coming to the Diocese of Providence, Tobin had previously worked in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. A grand jury investigation in Pennsylvania revealed decades of child sexual abuse by priests there, with hundreds of victims.
“When [allegations of sexual abuse] were reported, they were dealt with very quickly and very responsibly,” Tobin said of his time in Pennsylvania. “So, it’s not as if I didn’t care. It’s not as if those things were being ignored or covered up…but they were being handled by different people and different offices. And that’s why my name was not involved in the grand jury report, because I didn’t deal with those issues.”
A similar grand jury investigation in Rhode Island would require changing state law, something the incoming Attorney General told NBC 10 he supports.
“What allegations have been made? You let people know that you’re willing to listen to any allegations that are out there. Then, you review them and decide how to proceed,” said Attorney General Elect Peter Neronha.
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