- Office of the Attorney General
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Molly McGlynn, Communications Director
BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today released a comprehensive report detailing the findings of the Attorney General’s Office’s (AGO) investigation into child sexual abuse in the Catholic Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield and Worcester. While previous investigations and public reporting had exposed institutional failures in the Archdiocese of Boston that allowed widespread abuse, this is the first comparable public accounting of the institutional failures within the Fall River, Springfield and Worcester dioceses.
The investigation found evidence that more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children across the three dioceses. Since the investigation began in 2019, the AGO reviewed more than 300,000 pages of records and interviewed more than 100 individuals, including survivors, advocates, attorneys, clergy, diocesan officials and employees.
The report documents decades of failures by diocesan leaders to adequately respond to allegations of child sexual abuse and protect children from further harm. The investigation found instances in which diocesan leaders failed to act on allegations and warning signs; transferred accused and offending priests to other parishes without disclosing the reasons for their transfers; returned priests to ministry following treatment without adequate supervision; failed to meaningfully enforce restrictions; concealed the reasons priests were removed from ministry; and failed to consistently report allegations to law enforcement.
“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. This report provides for the first time a public accounting of the unimaginable harms afflicted on children in the Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester dioceses. While important reforms have been made, the report documents decades of failures by diocesan leaders to adequately respond to allegations of child sexual abuse and protect children from further harm. 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. No institution should ever put its own reputation and interest above the safety and wellbeing of its constituents especially children,” said AG Campbell.
Following the widespread public exposure of clergy sexual abuse in 2002, the Catholic Church adopted national reforms and Massachusetts strengthened its laws governing child protection and reporting. The three dioceses subsequently established offices dedicated to child protection and victim assistance, strengthened review processes, implemented safe-environment training and background checks, and adopted new procedures for reporting and investigating allegations.
While the report recognizes this progress, the investigation found that written policies were not consistently followed, and exceptions often undermined protections intended to keep children safe. The report identifies remaining gaps in oversight, accountability, and transparency across the three dioceses.
Notably, the Worcester Diocese remains the only diocese in Massachusetts that does not maintain a publicly accessible list of credibly accused clergy, despite this being the practice in every other Massachusetts diocese.
Based on its findings, the AGO is calling on the Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield and Worcester to take additional steps to protect children and improve their response to survivors, including:
- Putting survivors first and using trauma-informed practices when receiving and responding to allegations;
- Properly reporting and investigating allegations through consistent, thorough and independent processes;
- Meaningfully enforcing and monitoring restrictions placed on accused and offending priests;
- Increasing transparency, including by making information about credibly accused clergy publicly accessible; and
- Strengthening institutional oversight and culture to ensure child-protection policies are consistently followed and enforced.
The investigation also informed recommendations to strengthen Massachusetts law and provide greater avenues for survivors to seek justice. The AGO is calling on the Massachusetts Legislature to pass legislation that considers:
- Eliminating the $20,000 charitable immunity cap for civil claims involving child sexual abuse;
- Eliminating the statute of limitations for civil claims involving child sexual abuse; and
- Creating an indefinite lookback period to give survivors whose civil claims have already expired an opportunity to seek justice.
The AGO carefully examined whether criminal prosecution remained possible for conduct identified during the investigation. There were no new indictments arising from the investigation. During the investigation, three cases were referred to the appropriate District Attorneys’ Offices. One of those referrals, to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, resulted in criminal charges being issued in the District Court.
Some conduct identified was not a crime under Massachusetts law at the time it occurred and cannot be prosecuted retroactively. For example, the statutory changes in 2002 that criminalized reckless endangerment of a child and broadened mandatory reporting requirements cannot be used to prosecute individuals for acts committed prior to the enactment of these laws.
In other cases, the applicable statute of limitations had expired. Many of the individuals identified in the report are also deceased.
Any legal limitations do not diminish the seriousness of what this investigation found. The Office believes that while criminal law cannot provide justice for all survivors today, the Office still has a responsibility to tell the truth of what happened.
AG Campbell thanks the survivors who came forward and shared their lived experiences throughout the investigation, as well as the advocates and others whose written accounts helped inform the report. She also recognizes those who were unable to come forward and those who are no longer with us.
AG Campbell also extends deep gratitude to the attorneys, investigators, and staff across the Office whose work made the investigation and release of the report possible.
The full report is available on the AGO’s dedicated webpage, here. Individuals seeking support may also find resources on the webpage.
The Massachusetts Children’s Alliance provides a statewide directory of Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs), where individuals can report child sexual abuse in the county where the abuse occurred and access additional resources and support.
To report child sexual abuse by a member of the clergy or locate the appropriate CAC, please visit the Massachusetts Children’s Alliance’s webpage.
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