News

News

March 6, 2026

Rhode Island investigation reveals 75 Catholic clergy abused more than 300 victims over seven decades

Seventy-five Catholic clergy in Rhode Island molested more than 300 victims since 1950, according to a sweeping report released Wednesday by Attorney General Peter Neronha. Officials stressed that the actual numbers are almost certainly higher.

The report caps a multiyear investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Providence, the spiritual home for a state where nearly 40% of residents identify as Catholic. Supposedly, only 20 people ever faced criminal charges. Just 14 were convicted. A dozen others were laicized or otherwise dismissed.

Most accused priests avoided accountability entirely.

The diocese opened a “spiritual retreat-style facility” for accused priests in the early 1950s, framing predation as a disorder to be treated rather than a crime to be punished. By the 1990s, accused clergy were sometimes placed on sabbatical leave, a bureaucratic euphemism that let abusers vanish quietly while victims lived with the wreckage.

In the case of Robert Carpentier, a victim came forward in 1992 describing abuse that occurred in the 1970s. Carpentier resigned and acknowledged the abuse. The diocese sent him to a treatment center, then he went on sabbatical at Boston College. He retired in 2006 and received financial support from the diocese until he died in 2012. A 13-year-old victim’s suffering, processed through institutional machinery, produced a comfortable retirement.

In the case of the late Monsignor John Allard, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Cranston, a survivor described being groomed for more than a year before the abuse began in 1981, when he was in ninth grade. One detail from the survivor has the clarity of a scar:

“His comment to me was always, ‘You need a hug,’ and that’s something that I can hear him saying very clearly to this very day.”

The Vatican, at the urging of then-Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin, let Allard retire rather than be defrocked. Retirement, not removal. Dignity for the predator, silence for the victim.

The Fox on the Review Board

In at least one case, the institution designed to hear abuse complaints was itself compromised. The Rev. Francis Santilli sat on the diocesan review board while being accused of abuse himself. He stepped down after the complaint, but remained in active ministry even after other complaints surfaced in 2014 and 2021. He was not removed until 2022.

LONDON (AP) — London police say four men have been arrested on suspicion of aiding Iran by spying on the Jewish community. In a statement Friday, the Metropolitan Police said the suspects, one Iranian and three dual British-Iranian nationals, were taken into custody on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. The force said the men, aged 22, 40, 52 and 55, were arrested at addresses in and around north London shortly after 1 a.m. They are suspected on spying on locations and individuals. Six other men were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Islamic militants abduct more than 300 people in northeastern Nigeria, officials say

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Local officials say Islamic militants attacked a town in northeastern Nigeria, abducting more than 300 people, including women and children. The attack on Friday happened in the town of Ngoshe in Borno state. That’s according to Bulama Sawa, an official from the Gwoza area. He told The Associated Press the attack was likely in retaliation for an operation by the military that killed three commanders of the militant Boko Haram group.

Former presidents set to speak during final public tribute to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.

CHICAGO (AP) — Former Democratic Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden received cheers and applause Friday as they joined thousands of people in a Chicago church for a celebration of life for the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. They joined mourners in paying a final public tribute to the civil rights legend. The event honors the protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate. It follows memorial services that drew large crowds in Chicago and South Carolina, where Jackson was born. Friday’s celebration is expected to be the largest. Former Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris also is listed as a speaker on the program.

Minnesota Wild active on NHL trade deadline day by getting Nick Foligno and Bobby Brink

Nick Foligno is joining his brother Marcus with the Minnesota Wild, who started off NHL trade deadline day by making two moves they hope will finally deliver some playoff success. Minnesota acquired Foligno from the Chicago Blackhawks ahead of the deadline Friday future considerations, with the rebuilding organization doing its 38-year-old captain a favor by giving him a chance not only to play with his brother but chase the Stanley Cup. The Lightning are getting Corey Perry from Los Angeles. Vincent Trocheck and Robert Thomas are among the players still available.

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