Report Details Nearly 1,000 Children Abused by Clerics in Three Mass. Dioceses

Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell released a report Wednesday finding more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children over about a century in the Fall River, Springfield and Worcester dioceses. The investigation began in 2019 under then-Attorney General Maura Healey, reviewed more than 300,000 pages of records and interviewed more than 100 people. Campbell told reporters that too often they protected the reputation of the church rather than protecting children. Most abuse occurred before 2002, when the Boston Globe's Pulitzer-winning report on the Archdiocese of Boston spurred Massachusetts legislative reforms. Campbell said legal limitations left her office unable to seek criminal charges and produced no new indictments; three cases were referred to district attorneys. What is contested: Healey told The Republican on Tuesday she wanted the inquiry for the sake of victims and survivors and for the public to know what happened; she was reported unaware of the pending release earlier that week. Campbell said the limitations do not diminish the seriousness of the conduct and urged the dioceses and broader Church to implement greater child-protection changes. Garabedian noted his clients cooperated with investigators and that he is receiving new calls from survivors describing abuse from 20 years ago.