The Massachusetts attorney general’s office released its report Wednesday on its investigation into clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic dioceses of Worcester, Springfield and Fall River.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell called the report the first “full public accounting of the abuse, misconduct and institutional failures at the dioceses that allowed the abuse to happen.” The investigation found more than 270 Catholic clergy members abused nearly 1,000 children in these dioceses over decades — most of the incidents occurred before 2002.
The state’s investigation included a list of recommendations to prevent sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church including that dioceses properly investigate allegations and maintain transparent and accurate records.
Campbell noted during a press conference Wednesday that Worcester is the only diocese in the state that has not disclosed a list of credibly accused priests and called on them to do so. The attorney general also advocated for legislation that would make it easier for survivors to pursue legal claims against their perpetrators.
Survivors had been calling for the public release of the investigation, which began in 2019, for years.
Skip Shea, now 66, spoke to investigators in September 2021. He was repeatedly sexually abused at St. Mary Church in Uxbridge and said the abuse began when he was 11 years old. Another survivor, David Lewcon, 72, also met with investigators. He was also abused at St. Mary Church, starting when he was 16, by the same priest that abused Shea.
Shea and other survivors said they felt forgotten. Some protested outside the attorney general's office calling for the report to be released. After being coerced into silence as children, they said it compounded their pain to finally speak to state authorities about what had happened to them, only for the investigation's findings to remain under wraps for years.
Some survivors and advocates hope an investigation like this could change Massachusetts state laws, like the charitable immunity cap and statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases.
Currently, the charitable immunity cap puts a $20,000 limit on damages against nonprofits, like dioceses. That cap has prevented victims from being able to retain a lawyer. The state’s statute of limitations for bringing a lawsuit related to sexual violence has also prevented a number of survivors from pursuing justice, as many did not come forward about the abuse they suffered until later in life.
Right now, state lawmakers are considering an amendment that would both eliminate the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases going forward, and provide a “look back window,” which would lift time limits on past cases for a period of two years.
