Massachusetts report counts 944 abuse survivors in 3 dioceses

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell released a 203-page report documenting 944 children and 275 Catholic clergy identified in connection with child sexual abuse across the Worcester, Springfield and Fall River dioceses. The investigation also described institutional failures in responding to allegations and protecting children. Campbell said the figures may be incomplete because records are missing and some survivors have not come forward. The report’s counts span decades, but the sources do not establish a precise shared starting date. It attributed 469 survivors to Fall River, 259 to Springfield and 216 to Worcester. Those numbers represent people identified in the investigation, not a complete count of everyone who may have been abused. Campbell described the report as a public accounting of abuse and institutional responses across the three dioceses. According to Campbell, diocesan leaders at times failed to respond adequately to allegations, transferred accused priests without explaining the reasons, allowed some to return to ministry without sufficient supervision, and did not consistently report allegations to law enforcement.