Catholic clergy sexually abused nearly 1,000 Massachusetts children over decades, report finds | Massachusetts

More than 270 Catholic clerics sexually abused nearly 1,000 children in three Massachusetts dioceses over several decades, according to a report released Wednesday by the state attorney general’s office.

The eight-year investigation did not result in new charges, the office said, asserting that some of the conduct identified did not constitute a crime under Massachusetts law at the time it occurred and that in other cases the applicable statute of limitations had expired.

However, three cases were referred to different prosecutor’s offices and one of them resulted in criminal prosecution. The majority of abuses took place before 2002.

“Evidence collected during this investigation also shows that for decades, and particularly before 2002, Church officials in all three dioceses knew about child sexual abuse but failed to take effective steps to prevent it or to address the institutional failures of leaders that led to many children falling victim to the hands of abusive priests,” the report said.

The attorney general’s office said the report was “the first comparable public report on institutional failures within the dioceses of Fall River, Springfield and Worcester.”

Abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston gained international attention after the Boston Globe published its Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage in 2002, and led to other investigations around the world that revealed similar cases of sexual abuse.

“I strongly urge dioceses and the Church as a whole to take these recommendations seriously and implement larger, more meaningful changes to strengthen child welfare and improve responses to allegations of abuse,” Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said at a news conference.

“Behind each of these numbers is a child whose safety was violated, a family who was forever changed, and a survivor who endured this abuse for years, and in many cases decades. They continue to carry this trauma even today,” Campbell said.

“I know that many survivors have waited a long time for these results to be made public. I understand the frustration that comes with this wait. I hope that today is a significant step forward toward the truth, accountability and healing that survivors deserve,” she added.

Only one of the three dioceses responded to the report in a statement. “We will study the Attorney General’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,” the Diocese of Worcester said in a statement.

The Diocese of Worcester did not apologize on Wednesday for the behavior of its clerics, but highlighted an apology from Archbishop Robert J McManus, who wrote in 2022 that he was “deeply sorry for the abuse of minors by priests” within his diocese.

“I continue my commitment, with the help of many collaborators, to do everything in our power to ensure that such abuses do not happen again,” he said at the time. The Diocese of Worcester also stressed that no charges had been filed.

Many of the people identified in the report have also died, the report states. “Legal limitations do not diminish the seriousness of the findings of this investigation. The office believes that while the criminal law cannot provide justice for all survivors today, the office still has a responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.”

• In the United States, call or text the Childhelp Abuse Hotline at 800-422-4453 or visit their website for more resources and to report child abuse or DM for help. For adult survivors of child abuse, help is available at ascasupport.org. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support for children on 0800 1111 and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact the Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International.