RHODE ISLAND
NBC 10
Part 1 – I-Team: Letters raise questions about alleged sex abuse in diocese
[with copies of the letters]
Updated: Nov 19, 2013
By Katie Davis
PROVIDENCE –
In a recent investigation, the NBC 10 I-Team obtained through a records request 88 pages detailing sexual abuse by Rhode Island Roman Catholic priests, going back more than 30 years.
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.
A total of 45 letters were sent to state police between 2003 and 2013.
The documents which were stamped “confidential” were heavily redacted by state police.
The names of priests were blacked out, even those people who are already dead. Dates and locations were blacked out. The names of the churches were blacked out too.
But the details that remained were stories from victims who say there were sexually assaulted, raped and told to keep quiet.
Some where children forced to engage in oral sex and were told no one would believe them.
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