PROVIDENCE (RI)
Diocese of Providence RI
March 4, 2026
- Watch Bishop Lewandowski’s Video Response in English: https://provd.io/agvideo
- Respuesta en video del Obispo Lewandowski en español: https://provd.io/videofg
- Text of Bishop Lewandowski’s Video Response in English & Spanish: Transcript [PDF]
Diocese of Providence Response to the Attorney General Report
Any abuse of children is an abhorrent sin and a terrible crime. It is a scourge on our society wherever it occurs—in homes, schools, sports, or our religious and civic organizations. When the abuse comes at the hands of clergy who betray their God-given ministry and violate the trust placed in them, it is all the more shocking.
The very existence of the Attorney General’s Report is the result of the Diocese of Providence’s unprecedented and voluntary agreement to extraordinary transparency. So, it is critical at the outset to state what the Report is, and importantly, what it is not. Despite how the Attorney General now frames this as an “investigation”, the Report did not result from legal compulsion, criminal or civil administrative proceedings, or coercion by governmental power. This voluntary records review was made possible only because the diocese freely granted access to the Attorney General through a 2019 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), set aside its valid legal objections and willingly endured six-and-a half years of persistent requests for over seventy-five years of material.
The Report does not have the force of law but rather offers untested perspectives of the Attorney General — the bulk of which focus on historical cases of abuse from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and which have been previously documented, already subject to civil and criminal litigation, and well-publicized in the media.
The continued presence of child sexual abuse in so many other institutions motivated the diocese to agree to the unprecedented transparency into its history and records. We know the effectiveness of our efforts to protect children, and hoped that a broader societal good could come from our experience, both the failures and the successes in the wake of a tragic but bygone era. This issue is not unique to churches – it occurs throughout society and others’ prevention efforts could be strengthened by our “lessons learned”.
And there have been lessons learned. There were serious missteps by this diocese and church leaders generally in the early recognition and handling of this awful period. It is certainly appropriate to critically examine the diocese’s responses to child sex abuse in many decades’ past, both its early missteps and its effective responses and improvements along the way. It is equally critical to examine the current state of child sexual abuse in society more broadly. In that regard, the Attorney General’s Report fails.
It is undeniable that the Diocese of Providence has effectively responded to these issues by instituting wide-ranging reforms. Beginning more than thirty years ago, and improved throughout the following years, the diocese can confidently say that our protections for children have proven to be overwhelmingly effective. The Report itself reveals no evidence of recent child sexual abuse by clergy, no credible accusations against those in ministry today, and no instances of the diocese’s failure to meet its legal reporting obligations.
The Report makes little effort to acknowledge these advancements or to point the way towards progress for other institutions and organizations. Of course, fact and public record compel the Attorney General to concede the diocese’s improvements, but wherever change or success is acknowledged, it is done so begrudgingly. Instead, the Report masks these reforms in hundreds of pages that needlessly revisit and recount already known, already publicized detestable acts from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. The Report presents this 75-year history in ways that might lead the reader to conclude these issues are an ongoing diocesan problem or that these are new revelations. They are not.
Any view that there is an on-going crisis within this diocese which requires urgent intervention is debunked by the fact that the Report took nearly seven years to be publicly released. Instead, the Report and the timing of its release is intended to sway legislative debate. Teased to the media in advance of the General Assembly session (before the draft was provided to the diocese in accordance with the MOU) its intent is to bolster proposed and previously-rejected legislation that seeks to suspend long-standing statute of limitations laws for civil suits. The Report’s emphatic historical focus is constructed to create tailwinds for that legislation and discredit any opposition to its passage. Other states have tried this approach, and it has led dozens of other dioceses to bankruptcy.[1]
It is important, therefore, to set the record straight. This is not to deny or diminish the inexcusable suffering inflicted on victims at the time of the abuse or in the very long years that followed. However, this diocese has implemented long-standing and successfulpractices.
The Diocese’s Efforts Have Been Effective
Stating that our Pillars of Protection are strong and have produced positive results is not to say that these protections are impenetrable or that we are complacent with our effort. Providing safe environments is a never-ending endeavor. However, the Report itself states that it “did not produce evidence of any recent child sexual abuse by clergy.” (Report, page 12).
The Report also presents compelling graphs which show that nearly 97% of abuse cases occurred between 1950 to 1997, and 42% before 1972. (Report, page 65, Fig. 2).
These statistics must be juxtaposed against Attorney General statements regarding child sexual abuse in Rhode Island more generally. In 2022, in an interview with Ian Donnis for Rhode Island PBS’s Public Radio, the Attorney General stated that from 2017 to 2022 “over 400 children were subject to sexual assault in Rhode Island.”[2]
We know from the Report that none of those cases involved the diocese or its clergy. Yet, the Report is devoid of any examination of the ongoing serious problem of child sexual abuse in settings outside the Catholic Church, or importantly, any suggestion to address these instances of abuse where they are prevalent today.[3]
`The Recent Indictments are Not the Direct Result of the MOU
A stated joint goal of the MOU was to “identify any prosecutable cases” (MOU, Recitals). Four indictments have been brought during the span of the MOU. However, it is misleading for the Report to imply that these indictments were the direct result of the MOU.[4]
Law enforcement should be commended for their work in advancing these cases, however, the diocesan Office of Compliance, in following its long-standing policies and procedures which preceded the MOU, had a hand in each case. In short, all of these indictments could have been pursued regardless of the MOU’s existence.
John Petrocelli – On November 2, 2020, Petrocelli, who was removed from ministry in 2002, was indicted on twelve separate counts for his actions alleged to have occurred over 36 years ago (between 1985-1990). Nineteen months prior to the indictment, on March 12, 2019, the Office of Compliance interviewed a new victim who came forward. That same day, the diocese informed the Rhode Island State Police of the complaint. Records also show that twenty years ago—back in 2006—the Office of Compliance had discussed with Rhode Island State Police other matters which are the subject of the indictment.
Edward Kelley – On May 5, 2021, Kelley was indicted on three counts for his actions alleged to have occurred over 42 years ago (in 1983). On September 18, 2019, twenty months prior to the indictment, the victim contacted the diocesan Office of Compliance with an unspecified complaint. After several follow-up attempts to reach the victim went unanswered, the Office of Compliance promptly relayed the information it had to the Rhode Island State Police per its longstanding practice and policy.
James Silva – On November 3, 2021, Silva was indicted on eleven counts for his actions alleged to have occurred over 36 years ago (in 1990). Silva was removed from ministry in 1993, and was well known to the police and the public as he pled guilty to sexual assault in 1995. On November 18, 2019, two years prior to the indictment, the Office of Compliance interviewed a new victim who came forward, and provided the complaint to the Rhode Island State Police that next morning in accordance with its long-standing practice and policy. That victim is the subject of Silva’s more recent indictment.
Kevin Fisette – On May 26, 2022, Fisette was indicted on one count for his actions alleged to have occurred over 43 years ago (in 1982). This case is especially illustrative of long-standing diocesan policies and its collaborative engagement with law enforcement. Unlike the cases above, Fisette was in active ministry upon receipt of the complaint in 2009. On March 23, 2009, nearly thirteen years prior to the 2022 indictment, the Office of Compliance interviewed the victim. The Office of Compliance promptly notified the Rhode Island State Police and asked for an expedited investigation due to Fisette’s status as a current pastor. The Rhode Island State Police asked the diocese not to confront Fisette so they could conduct their investigation. The diocese agreed to hold off action to assist the State Police. In August 2009, the Attorney General’s office announced that they would not prosecute the matter. Fisette was immediately removed from ministry after the State Police notified the diocese that it could proceed, and Fisette remains out of ministry today.
It is long established diocesan policy to proactively and promptly inform law enforcement of complaints received and to work closely to ensure that crimes are prosecuted. That cooperation occurred with each of these indictments. The Report downplays these collaborative efforts to aggrandize the results of the Attorney General’s six-plus year undertaking.[5]
A 2014 Rhode Island State Police press release regarding an earlier indictment, which preceded both the MOU and the current Attorney General’s term, acknowledged and commended the diocese’s already well-established cooperation with law enforcement. (Rhode Island State Police Press Release, November 21, 2014).
Today’s Standards Cannot Adequately Judge Responses from Forty Years Ago
The Report repeatedly criticizes the diocese’s very early response to the crisis. In doing so, it often applies contemporary standards, practices, and awareness to conduct that occurred nearly a half century ago when the world was very different.
For example, the Report criticizes the diocese’s turning to medical centers for counseling and evaluation of abusive priests, adding ominous quotation marks around terms like “treatment centers” and “cure” and implying that these were disingenuous responses. However, at the time it was not just church leaders who believed that the abusers were afflicted with a serious psychological pathology that could be medically addressed. During that same time period, Rhode Island’s own judges and prosecutors approved and ordered treatment for those subject to criminal prosecution (as in the cases of O’Connell, Silva and Abbruzzese).
One case that highlights this is William O’Connell. In 1986, O’Connell pled no contest to 26 charges of sexually assaulting boys and was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to undergo two years of psychiatric treatment at St. Luke’s Institution in Maryland — one of the very same institutions the Report denounces. By today’s standards, the sentence seems preposterous, but it was met by the following response from the then Attorney General: “We feel it’s a good sentence because on the one hand he is getting punished, but, on the other hand, he is getting some treatment.” (The Providence Journal, “Fr. O’Connell gets year on sex counts”June 23, 1986).
Times have changed. As the medical community and wider society’s understanding of these issues has grown and matured, so did the diocese’s own responses and understanding. Today’s standards cannot adequately be applied to yesterday’s conduct – yet the Report does so repeatedly to judge the diocese’s response.
Pioneering Practices Carried Out By Engaged Experts Produced Results Office of Compliance
The Diocese of Providence established an Office of Compliance more than 30 years ago, and nearly a decade before the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted its Charter for the Protection of Young People (Charter).
Since its inception, the Office of Compliance has been staffed with trained law enforcement investigators of unquestionable credentials. The office vigorously and transparently conducts investigations and has promptly and fully reported allegations of abuse to the police – regardless of credibility. The office also undertakes significant efforts aimed at prevention annually conducting more than 4,000 Bureau of Criminal Investigation Background Checks, and delivering Safe Environment Training Programs to everyone who has regular contact with children.
For its first 22 years, the office was led by a seasoned and experienced former Lieutenant of the Massachusetts State Police. Since 2015, the Office of Compliance has been led by Kevin O’Brien, a retired 23-year veteran of the Rhode Island State Police, a former Major and Commander of its Detective Division. Recently, the diocese announced that the office would be led by Robert Creamer, the retiring second-in-command and Lieutenant Colonel of the Rhode Island State Police who brings with him more than 29 years of experience, most recently as its Deputy Superintendent and its Chief of Field Operations.
Having served as distinguished members of the State Police, both Maj. O’Brien and Lt. Col. Creamer had interacted with the Office of Compliance and were familiar with its effectiveness. Sustaining and advancing its important mission were motivating factors in their decision to lead the office. (The Providence Journal, “Church in R.I. has long fought abuse” Aug 25, 2018).
The Charter
Nearly a quarter century ago, in 2002, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops drafted a landmark document in response to the sexual abuse crisis. Among other items, the Charter includes a zero-tolerance policy for anyone credibly accused of child sexual abuse, a commitment to victims for healing and reconciliation, a mandate to cooperate with civil authorities and accountability through annual audits. The Diocese of Providence then added these additional standards to those it had already established.
Advisory Board for the Protection of Children and Young People
The Charter also mandated that each diocese establish a confidential consultative body, comprised of a majority of lay membership not in the employ of the diocese, to advise the Bishop in assessing allegations of clergy sexual abuse, a cleric’s suitability for ministry, and to conduct periodic reviews of diocesan policies and procedures for addressing sexual abuse of minors. While the official Diocesan Review Board was established shortly after the adoption of the Charter, the Diocese of Providence had already assembled a similar lay group several years before.
Former Rhode Island Attorney General Dennis J. Roberts II and former Rhode Island State Police Superintendent Edmond S. Culhane were founding members of the Diocesan Review Board. Other previous lay board members who have served over the past several decades include: Anne Marie D’Alessio (Rhode Island Victims’ Advocacy and Support); The Honorable Laureen D’Ambra (Rhode Island Family Court Judge /former Rhode Island Child Advocate); Walter D. Fitzhugh, MD (Rhode Island licensed psychiatrist); Rabbi Marc Jagolinzer (Temple Shalom, Middletown, RI); Caryl Frink (Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island); and Patricia Martinez (former Director Rhode Island DCYF).
The depth of experience and unquestioned reputations of the people who have served on this board is no accident. The diocese faced serious questions, and it wanted professional, competent people advising it. That competency continues today.
Current lay board members are: The Honorable Stephen Isherwood (Associate Judge, Rhode Island District Court); Michael Quinn (retired Rhode Island State Police Major); Karen Pinch (former Town Manager, Town of Richmond and retired Rhode Island State Police Lt. Colonel); Bishop Jeffrey A. Williams, D.Min. (Pastor, The Kings Cathedral); Kevin Barry (retired Rhode Island State Police Lt. Colonel); and Dr. Sherrie Sharp (board certified child psychiatrist).
Office of Outreach and Prevention
In connection with the Office of Compliance, the diocese also established the Office of Outreach and Prevention to promote healing and reconciliation by offering compassionate pastoral care to those who have been impacted by clerical sexual abuse. Its director is a licensed Rhode Island psychologist. For decades, the office’s pastoral outreach program has assisted victims to obtain counseling and mental health support to help facilitate healing and wholeness. The Office of Outreach and Prevention also coordinates Safe Environment Training programs to parishes, schools and ministries that serve youth.
The Independent Perspective of Another Attorney General
Former three-term Attorney General Dennis Roberts spent decades of involvement with the clergy abuse crisis—both as a prosecutor and as an instrument of reform. With perhaps the best vantage point from which to offer perspective, he praised the diocese’s effective prevention efforts, and labelled attempts to distort and mischaracterize those efforts as “disturbing” in a 2019 opinion published in The Providence Journal. (The Providence Journal, “Diocese has pursued justice zealously” Feb 11, 2019).
Altering the Standards for Credibly Accused Does Not Establish “New” Cases
In June 2019, and prior to entering into the MOU, the diocese voluntarily published the identity of those clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor during the same period of the Attorney General’s review. There were a variety of complex and competing considerations in developing the diocesan list.
Most of all, there is the paramount interest in protecting children. There is also the important consideration of transparency and disclosure which leads to the rebuilding of trust and to healing. At the same time, there are the interests related to due process and fairness towards those accused who have not had an opportunity to respond to allegations or have their cases fully adjudicated. This is especially true in cases of clergy who died before an allegation or where the accuser is anonymous or declined to participate in any investigation of the accusations.
In publishing the list, the diocese recognized that there would undoubtedly be questions raised about whether particular priests should have been included, and where the line of “credibly accused” was drawn. The diocese chose to place that determination solely in the hands of Kevin O’Brien, a trained expert of unquestionable integrity and experience — a twenty-three year veteran of the Rhode Island State Police, a former Major and Commander of the Detective Division. He was allowed to exercise his independent judgement without interference, and ultimately determined which allegations warranted inclusion.
The Attorney General Report calls the diocesan list “deficient” and provides additional names that it has decided were also credibly accused. (Report, pages 30 and 202). Were these new individuals proposed by the Report still living, their average age would be over 104 years old. This statistic alone confirms that none of these individuals pose a present-day threat to safe environments. However, reviewing the Report’s suggested names, including many religious order brothers and priests not under the direct jurisdiction of the Bishop of Providence and other priests who had no allegations in their diocesan files, also indicates that the Attorney General applied different standards and criteria in making his proposal.[6]
Conclusion
Nothing in this response to the Attorney General’s Report should be viewed in any way as questioning or diminishing the real pain felt by victims or downplaying the missteps of church leaders in their very early responses to this crisis. There is no way to rewrite or erase that sad history or the suffering it caused. However, the Attorney General’s Report should not diminish the efforts of thousands of people who have stood together and responded effectively to that crisis. Dedicated clergy, law enforcement officials, Catholic school teachers, involved parents and students, community leaders, and other faithful members of our diocesan community all worked together to achieve safe environments in our diocese today. Results happen when everyone with an interest in protecting children works together cooperatively, without ego or agenda, but with genuine compassion and real understanding. That cooperation and singular focus have been the reality in the Diocese of Providence for decades, and those accomplishments should be recognized.
Endnotes
[1] More than 30 dioceses and archdioceses in the United States have declared bankruptcy and have been forced to make cuts to vital ministries and charitable works following the passage of similar legislation.
[2] See https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/nYJ_CAD8MJuZB7B9cGfWHG3bck?domain=thepublicsradio.org. The Attorney General also cited similar figures in a November 2021 WPRO interview with Gene Valicenti, and tweeted in September 2022 that more than 500 sexual assault cases involving children were charged in the prior five years.
[3] A report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education respecting sex abuse in public schools corroborates that institutions other than the Catholic Church require attention. See U.S. Department of Education, Office of Undersecretary, Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature (2004) (https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/misconductreview/report.pdf); seealsogenerally, Professor Carol Shakeshaft, curriculum vitae https://soe.vcu.edu/media/school-of-education/pdfs/cvs/Charol-Shakeshaft_5-4-22_ada.pdf (author of study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education).
[4] See Report, page 10 (“As a direct result of this Investigation, my Office, working with members of the State Police, brought criminal charges against four current and former priests for child sexual abuse.”) and page 22 (“as a direct result of this Investigation, four Catholic priests were arrested and indicted for child molestation and/or sexual assault.”) As discussed above, the allegations of child sexual abuse related to the four indicted individuals did not become known to the Office of Attorney General “as a direct result of” its undertaking.
[5] None of these cases, aside from Kelley who was deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial and later died, have been tried or resolved. As stated in the Report, each of the four defendants named above is presumed innocent of the charges contained in the respective indictments. While each is included on the “Diocesan Credibly Accused List” – this designation, as stated in connection with the list’s publication “does not necessarily mean that the individual is guilty of having committed sexual abuse, unless the allegation has been otherwise proven or admitted.”
[6] To come to a determination, the diocesan list weighed various factors, including, but not limited to, whether the allegation was anonymous; the consistency of witness testimony; the accuracy or inaccuracy of details provided in the accusation; any physical evidence; whether the accused had an opportunity to respond to the allegation, and if so, his credibility and response; whether the accused was the subject of more than one allegation; the scope and spectrum of the alleged conduct; any additional information obtained from law enforcement; and the existence or absence of any corroborating evidence or witnesses. (FAQ’s Relative to the Release of the List of Credibly Accused Clergy in the Diocese of Providence, https://dioceseofprovidence.org/faqs-re-the-list)
To report or to seek assistance
The Diocese of Providence urges anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse, or with credible knowledge of such abuse, by any member of the Catholic Church, to report allegations to the R.I. State Police, local law enforcement, the R.I. Attorney General’s Office, and Kevin O’Brien, Co-Director, Office of Compliance, 401-941-0760, kobrien@dpvd.org and/or Robert A. Creamer, MBA, CFE, Co-Director, Diocesan Office of Compliance, 401-941-0760, rcreamer@dpvd.org.
To seek assistance for victims or family members affected by such abuse, please contact Michael Hansen, Director, Diocesan Office of Outreach & Prevention, 401-946-0728, mhansen@dpvd.org. For more information on the abuse policy of the Diocese of Providence, please visit: www.dioceseofprovidence.org/compliance.
Helpful Links
Protecting Our Children: About Our Pillars of Protection
Diocesan Child Protection and Outreach Policy
General Frequently Asked Questions
List of Credibly Accused Clergy in the Diocese of Providence
FAQs Relative to the Release of The List of Credibly Accused Clergy in the Diocese of Providence
Contact Us
Office of Compliance
401-941-0760compliancedpvd.org
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