FALL RIVER (MA)
WPRI-TV, CBS-12 [Providence RI]
September 30, 2026
By Jusolyn Flower
BOSTON (WPRI) — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has released an extensive report documenting decades of institutional failures, following a multi-year investigation into child sexual abuse allegations within the Catholic Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield and Worcester.
The 203-page report alleges more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children across the three dioceses over the course of a century and identifies instances in which leaders neglected to act on warning signs.
Based on the investigation’s findings, the Massachusetts AG’s Office is calling on the Fall River, Springfield and Worcester dioceses to make changes in order to protect children, increase transparency and bolster oversight. It also provides recommendations to strengthen state law and offer more avenues for survivors to seek justice.
While acknowledging reforms the Catholic Church has implemented nationally and laws strengthened statewide since the 2002 public exposure of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston, Campbell said this report provides a public accounting of “unimaginable harms” inflicted on children within the Fall River, Springfield and Worcester dioceses.
“For decades, survivors of clergy sexual abuse, including those who are no longer alive, have carried the devastating consequences of abuse, while the institutions entrusted with their care too often failed to protect them,” Campbell said.
“As a woman of deep faith, it is my prayer and profound hope that this report honors the courage and stories of survivors, and serves as a renewed catalyst for Massachusetts to finally do all that is necessary to ensure the safety of our children,” she continued. “No institution should ever put its own reputation and interest above the safety and well-being of its constituents, especially children.”
Click here to read the full report.
Responses
In light of the AG’s findings, Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha stressed that the Catholic Diocese of Fall River is “firmly resolved” to continue helping survivors heal, maintain accountability and prevent other children from suffering from sexual abuse.
“I am filled with sorrow over the historical account of incidents and practices reflecting the tragic failings to protect our most vulnerable, especially for the innocent victims who suffered, and continue to suffer, in so many ways,” Cunha said. “To all survivors of child sexual abuse, I am deeply sorry. We as a Church failed you when you were most vulnerable.”
He pointed to a number of measures the diocese has taken in recent years to ensure community safety and instill a “culture of protection,” some of which include:
- Publishing a publicly available list of credibly accused clergy members
- Providing all district attorneys with documents in investigations related to alleged clergy abuse and cooperating with law enforcement to identify and prosecute, and remove credibly accused clergy
- Strengthening protocols for handling allegations and responding to individuals impacted by abuse such as enhancing its Office of Safe Environment, hiring a licensed social worker, establishing a policy for personnel who receive abuse reports, mandating training for how to recognize signs of abuse
- Requiring background checks for all personnel
Cunha said the diocese “fully cooperated” with the investigation by providing more than 80,000 pages of documents and did not object nor intervene to prevent the Grandy Jury report’s release.
“We are carefully assessing the AGO report and will continue to take the steps necessary to foster a culture of protection that we have worked to build over the past decade,” Cunha added.
This article is being updated.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, seek help immediately:
Call 911 or report the assault to your local police department
🪷National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
Rhode Island
🪷Day One RI: 401-421-4100
🪷Sojourner House: 401-765-3232
🪷Elizabeth Buffum Chace Center: 401-738-1700
Massachusetts
🪷New Hope: 800-323-HOPE (4673)
🪷A New Day: 508-588-2045
🪷The Women’s Center: 508-999-6636