AG report on Massachusetts dioceses: 275 clergy abused nearly 1,000 children over 70 Years

At least 275 clergy and other church personnel across the Massachusetts dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester sexually abused nearly 1,000 children, according to a report Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell released Sept. 30.

The abuse occurred over 70 years, and most of it was committed before 2002, according to the report.

“For decades, and especially before 2002, church officials in all three dioceses knew about the sexual abuse of children yet did not take effective action to prevent it,” investigators wrote. 

Church officials responded to its publication with sorrow, while also noting that the Church’s track record for handling abuse cases has markedly improved since 2002.

“Our procedures over the past three decades, including the way we screen candidates for ordination, as well as the awareness and safety training, which was implemented in all our parishes and ministries, have made an enormous difference,” Worcester Chancellor Raymond Delisle said.

“We will study the AG’s report to identify any additional improvements that can be made to respond to victims of past abuse and to continue to strengthen efforts to keep children safe,” he stated.

The report documented 92 accused clergy and 469 survivors in the Fall River diocese, 93 accused and 259 survivors in Springfield, and 90 accused and 216 survivors in Worcester. It did not include cases from the Archdiocese of Boston, since that region was evaluated in a 2003 report from then-Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly.  

In a pattern familiar to those who have followed investigations of the clergy abuse crisis, investigators found dioceses routinely transferred accused priests without notifying their new parishes. The dioceses also frequently failed to report allegations to law enforcement and relied on psychiatric evaluations to clear accused priests for ministry.

Campbell, who has spoken publicly about being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse by a family member, called the report “the first, full public accounting of the abuse, misconduct, and institutional failures” in the three dioceses. Three cases from the investigation “potentially within the statute of limitations” were referred to local prosecutors, and at least one has led to criminal charges in Worcester County.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least one in four girls and one in 20 boys in the U.S. experience sexual abuse during childhood, and that about 90% of cases are committed by someone known and trusted by the child or the child’s family, rather than a stranger.

Delisle welcomed the report, saying, “After an exhaustive investigation in which we were fully cooperative, there were no charges filed.” 

He added that since 2002 the diocese has immediately forwarded any accusations to the local district attorney’s office and that the most recent credible or substantiated allegation was from 1998. 

Fall River Bishop Edgar da Cunha said in a Sept. 30 statement he was “filled with sorrow,” adding. “We as a Church failed you when you were most vulnerable.” 

The diocese turned over more than 80,000 pages of records to investigators and published a list five years ago of accused clergy. In a separate statement, Springfield Bishop William Byrne called the findings “a humbling reminder” and said the diocese has since adopted “trauma-informed policies and procedures.”

The report also faulted the dioceses’ review boards, the lay-led panels meant to advise bishops on abuse allegations, saying they lacked independence and consistent standards, were sometimes bypassed by bishops entirely, and kept such poor records that investigators said it was “impossible to assess how the Boards handled all sexual abuse complaints.”

The findings arrive months after the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved the fourth revision of its Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, known as the Dallas Charter, at its June assembly. 

>> USCCB concludes spring plenary assembly in Orlando, approves liturgical updates and revisions to child protection charter <<

The revised charter, like its three prior versions dating to 2002, covers only the abuse of minors. 

“Instances of clerical sexual misconduct involving adults are likewise not within the scope of this Charter,” the revised text states, even though the Massachusetts report found that “multiple priest offenders who abused children, particularly adolescents, also offended against adults.” 

During the revision process, some bishops pushed to have the charter directly address the abuse of adults, abuses of power, and episcopal cover-up, but the proposal was not adopted. 

Bishop Barry Knestout, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, explained that the Vatican is addressing the abuse of adults separately. He told his fellow bishops at the June gathering that a “Universal Guidelines Framework [is] being prepared by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors” and additional “canonical legislation on spiritual abuse” is also being drafted.