PROVIDENCE (RI)
Boston Globe
March 4, 2026
By Steph Machado
Many of the accused clergy, which includes priests and deacon, have since died. They worked in 36 Rhode Island cities and towns.
PROVIDENCE — The attorney general’s expansive report on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence included the names of 72 clergy members, including priests, deacons and others, who were credibly accused of sexually abusing children while working for the diocese between 1950 and 2011.
Three others — John Petrocelli, James Silva, and Kevin Fissette — were charged with child molestation during the investigation and are awaiting trial. (A fourth, Edward Kelley, was also charged but died before his trial.)
None of the credibly accused clergy are still working within the diocese, Bishop Bruce Lewandowski said. The report details the accusations against each priest and where they worked during which years. They were spread throughout 36 Rhode Island towns and cities, Attorney General Peter Neronha’s office said. Some were assigned to schools or Boy Scout camps.
The priests on the list also moved around to positions in other New England dioceses, including in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, according to the report.
Some went as far away as Texas, New Mexico and Montana.
Each of the credibly accused clergy member has either died, retired or was removed by the church, according to the report. About a dozen are still alive.
The diocese previously publicly released a list of credibly accused priests, but the attorney general’s list includes dozens of additional names.
The full list, including the accusations against each clergy member and where they were assigned, can be found below.
[From BA: Click here to download Appendix A, which details allegations against 75 Providence clergy.]
Steph Machado can be reached at steph.machado@globe.com. Follow her @StephMachado.