SPRINGFIELD (MA)
The Republican - MassLive [Springfield MA]
September 24, 2026
By Stephanie Barry
He trusted a Catholic priest with his secrets in the sacred space of a confessional, but at the same time, he claims the cleric was abusing him.
This, according to a 19-year-old man who recently disclosed that not one, but two priests at Our Lady of Mount Carmel church had taken advantage of him sexually during a particularly vulnerable period. The Republican does not identify alleged victims of sexual abuse.
One, the Rev. Paolo Bagattini, began abusing him when he was just 15, the victim alleges. He was the priest who took the boy’s confessions and sponsored him for his confirmation, an important rite of passage for Catholics.
The second, the Rev. Robert White, began abusing him only after he turned 18, according to the victim’s attorney.
“I have text messages from Father White to my client referencing coconut oil massages,” said Springfield lawyer Laura Mangini, who represents the victim in any civil claims that might arise. “I was raised Catholic, and no priest ever offered to give me a coconut oil massage.”
Both have been removed from ministry by the Most Rev. Bishop William D. Byrne. They are both Stigmatines but worked under the authority of the Springfield diocese; the Stigmatine order has a focus on youth.
Church officials referred the matter to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, and Massachusetts State Police are investigating, according to Mangini. Her client has been interviewed by detectives, she said.
A spokesperson for Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni confirmed the probe.
“The Hampden District Attorney’s Office is aware of the recently reported allegations and can confirm that our office is investigating the matter. Given the ongoing nature of the investigation, we cannot comment further at this time,” spokesperson Payton North said.
A diocesan spokesperson on Wednesday declined to comment beyond what the church already has disclosed about the matter.
The victim said in an interview Wednesday that the priests took him under their wings after his mother died in 2020. They were often kind, taking him on trips to the beach, inviting him for dinners and offering gifts.
“My mother died; then my brother went off to jail,” the man said. “Father Paolo and Father White helped raise me.”
But the relationships turned from strictly paternal and charitable to something else, he said. There came the sleepovers at the rectory while he was still underage, a flagrant violation of church policy even absent the undercurrent of an ongoing sexual abuse scandal.
Years later, when White made sexual overtures, the victim said the cleric offered cautionary advice.
“What happens at the rectory stays at the rectory,” White said, the victim claims.
Bagattini remains in Italy, a fact he attributed to illness in a recent church newsletter.
“The onset of macular degeneration in my left eye (my right eye is already near useless) and my current heart condition (3 episodes of brief temporary loss of consciousness in recent months) require me to slow down my work pace and avoid stress,” the reverend wrote in the newsletter. “…the Father General has advised me to remain in Italy.”
White recently left the rectory in the city’s South End, his home while he was the longtime pastor and just months away from retirement, according to parishioners.
The Rev. Kleber L. Cardoso will oversee the parish during the investigation.
The accusations have roiled the tight-knit congregation, whose members include Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and his family.
Mangini said Bagattini’s alleged abuse began with long hugs and placing his hands on the victim’s hips.
“He would explain it away, saying he is Italian, and Italians are very affectionate. It was normal,” she said.
The alleged victim said the abuse by Bagattini was consistent and went on until the Stigmatines paid for two trips to Italy on his behalf, because he intended to pursue the priesthood as avocation.
When he returned to the U.S. on Jan. 2 after his second trip, then 18, he had soured on the relationship with Bagattini and began to distance himself. Still, the priest attempted to keep tabs on him by quizzing other people about his whereabouts.
“That really pissed me off,” the man said.
The alleged relationship with White began soon after, he said. He is unclear on what, if anything, White suspected or knew about his interactions with Bagattini.
He said he last spoke to White on Sept. 15. He claims the priest urged him to delay any disclosures he might be considering about him or Bagattini. He asked the alleged victim for two weeks to address the matter with the bishop himself.
The young man acquiesced, but both he and Mangini said they were blindsided three days later by an announcement from the diocese and suspensions. Mangini said she is unclear how the news traveled so fast to the bishop.
“All I know is, it wasn’t us,” she said, adding that she has been pleased by how the diocese has handled the matter, engaging authorities and financing a mental health counselor for her client.
What she and the victim are not pleased about is the backlash from certain members of the congregation.
Mangini said certain parishioners have joined forces to discredit her client, painting him as a liar.
“There’s a contingent at Mount Carmel spreading rumors,” she said. “In 2026, we, as a society, should know better.”