Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children across three dioceses in Massachusetts, the state’s attorney general said in a report published on Sept. 30.
A years-long investigation found evidence that 275 clerics, including priests and nuns, abused children, and that 944 kids reported being sexually abused, according to the report released by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.
The probe examined allegations of child sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester, and how the dioceses handled the allegations.
Investigators said that the dioceses failed to respond adequately to child sex abuse allegations, including failures to act on some allegations, transferring accused priests to other parishes without disclosing reasons for the transfers, and failing to consistently report allegations to law enforcement….