The Diocese of Providence has paid millions of dollars to survivors of clergy sexual abuse over the past two decades. Those settlements and compensation programs represent a long, painful history that survivors helped force into the open, often at great personal cost. If you were abused by a priest, deacon, or other clergy member connected to the Diocese of Providence, understanding that history matters, because it directly affects your legal options today.

Table of Contents

• The 2002 Settlement: The First Major Reckoning for the Diocese of Providence
• The Diocese’s Post-Settlement Compensation Programs (2002–2007)
• The 2008 Settlement and the Diocese’s Cumulative Payout
• What the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report Revealed About Institutional Failures
• How Other Dioceses Have Used Independent Compensation Programs
• Rhode Island’s 2026 Revival Window: What H-7200A/S-2616A Means for Survivors
• FAQs About Diocese of Providence Compensation Programs and Settlement History

The 2002 Settlement: The First Major Reckoning for the Diocese of Providence

In September 2002, the Diocese of Providence agreed to pay $13.5 million to 36 survivors who were sexually abused as minors by members of the Catholic Church. That settlement came after nearly a decade of civil litigation. It was not a voluntary gesture of accountability. It was the result of survivors and their attorneys fighting relentlessly for recognition and compensation.

The claims involved allegations against 11 priests and a nun. The abuse spanned decades and touched parishes across Rhode Island. For many survivors, the settlement was the first public acknowledgment that what happened to them was real, documented, and wrong.

The Diocese’s internal records, later reviewed by the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, showed that Diocesan leadership had known about abusive priests for years. According to the Attorney General’s report on child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence, bishops and senior Diocesan leaders were aware of the problem long before any settlement was reached. The report describes one bishop’s reported response to yet another abuse complaint in 1981 as simply: “Oh no, not again.” That single line captures how deeply the institution had normalized the abuse of children.

The 2002 settlement resolved claims for those survivors whose cases were still within the statute of limitations at the time. But many survivors were left out entirely because their claims were already time-barred under Rhode Island law. That exclusion set the stage for the Diocese’s subsequent compensation programs and, decades later, for the legal reform Rhode Island finally enacted in 2026.

The Diocese’s Post-Settlement Compensation Programs (2002–2007)

After the 2002 settlement closed, survivors whose claims had already expired under the statute of limitations had no legal path to court. The Diocese, under Bishop Mulvee and in consultation with the Diocesan Review Board, responded by creating two time-limited compensation programs: a “high-low arbitration program” and a “compensation grant program.”

Under these programs, complainants could either accept a flat award of $25,000 or submit their claims to a binding arbitration process for an award ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. Participation required a release of claims, or an agreement not to sue the Diocese. Dozens of complainants reportedly participated before the Diocese discontinued both programs in 2007.

Monsignor Paul Theroux, who served as the Moderator of the Curia and later as Vicar General, represented the Diocese in these proceedings. He reportedly sat across from survivors and their attorneys, listened to accounts of abuse, and at times offered an apology. In a 2005 Providence Journal article, Theroux acknowledged “the degree of pain is overwhelming,” and recognized the ripple effect of the abuse on survivors’ families and communities.

The programs had real limitations. The award amounts were modest, and many survivors and advocates viewed them as inadequate given the severity of the harm. The Diocese ended both programs in 2007, claiming they had “run their course.” But attorneys who helped structure the programs continued to represent additional clients who sought to arbitrate their claims well past that cutoff. Scores of additional survivors came forward after 2007, including many who were moved to do so when the Diocese published its List of Credibly Accused Clergy in 2019. Those survivors had no program to turn to.

The 2008 Settlement and the Diocese’s Cumulative Payout

In August 2008, the Diocese of Providence agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle claims brought by four survivors who were sexually abused by priests when they were children. Several of the plaintiffs in these settlements were part of the 2002 lawsuit. However, they chose not to accept the 2002 settlement and filed a second lawsuit against the Diocese.

In 2019, the Diocese of Providence revealed that it had paid over $21 million in settlements to survivors of sexual abuse and misconduct by clergy members. That figure covered more than 130 resolved complaints. It is worth pausing on what that number represents: over 130 people who came forward, named their abuser, and went through the difficult process of seeking compensation from the very institution that was supposed to protect them.

That $21 million figure does not include the value of compensation paid through the high-low arbitration and grant programs of the early 2000s, or the Diocese’s ongoing practice of reimbursing complainants for out-of-pocket counseling costs. The true financial toll of clergy abuse on survivors in Rhode Island is almost certainly higher than any single number reflects.

What the cumulative payout does not capture is the cost to survivors that money cannot address: lost years, broken relationships, mental health struggles, and the long silence that many survivors carried because they believed no one would listen. None of that appears in a settlement figure. But it is exactly why the legal fight for accountability matters, and why the attorneys at Sommers Schwartz take these cases seriously.

What the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report Revealed About Institutional Failures

An investigation led by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha released the “Report on Child Sex Abuse in the Diocese of Providence.” The investigation began in July 2019 and was supported by the review of more than 250,000 pages of documents held by the Diocese dating back to 1950.

Its enactment comes after the release of a report in March by Attorney General Peter F. Neronha accusing the Catholic Diocese of Providence of a “well-worn pattern” of failing to remove dozens of priests accused of child sexual abuse and keeping the abuse secret over decades. The report identified 75 clergy members who sexually abused more than 300 children since 1950.

The report documented that accused priests were repeatedly reassigned to new parishes rather than removed from ministry. Nearly 40 suspected abusers were transferred at least five times during their careers, with some moved ten times or more. Each transfer put new children at risk. Each transfer was a decision made by someone in authority who knew, or should have known, what that priest had done.

The report also found that the Diocese’s own zero-tolerance policy, publicly touted for years, was not consistently followed. In several cases, bishops permitted accused priests to quietly retire with benefits, or remain on lengthy leaves of absence, rather than referring their cases to the Vatican. The gap between what the Diocese said publicly and what it actually did privately is central to why so many survivors never got justice, and why Rhode Island’s sexual assault attorney community pushed hard for legislative reform.

The Attorney General’s report also recommended that the Diocese establish a new, independent compensation program for survivors, modeled after programs adopted by other dioceses around the country. As of the writing of this page, the Diocese of Providence has not established such a program.

How Other Dioceses Have Used Independent Compensation Programs

The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report pointed to independent compensation programs in other states as a model worth following. These programs share key features: they are run by independent administrators with no ties to the Church, they are available to survivors regardless of whether their civil claims are time-barred, and their decisions are binding on the diocese.

The Archdiocese of New York established the first major program of this kind in 2016, designed and administered by Kenneth Feinberg, who also administered the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. In 2016, the New York Archdiocese established the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program to provide compensation to survivors of abuse. By November 2017, the program paid out over $40 million to nearly 200 parishioners who had been abused by priests and deacons affiliated with the New York Archdiocese.

Following the 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced its own Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program. That program reportedly paid at least $78 million to 438 survivors. In California, six major dioceses established a joint Independent Compensation Program in 2019, through which 197 survivors were paid approximately $24 million. Award amounts under these programs were determined on a case-by-case basis, with factors including the nature and extent of the abuse and its long-term impact on the survivor.

These programs are non-adversarial, confidential, and voluntary. Survivors are not required to participate, and they generally have the opportunity to consult with an attorney, paid for by the program, before accepting any award. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report specifically recommended that the Diocese of Providence adopt a similar model. A sexual abuse lawyer who understands how these programs work can help you evaluate whether civil litigation, a compensation program, or both represent the best path forward for your situation.

Rhode Island’s 2026 Revival Window: What H-7200A/S-2616A Means for Survivors

Rhode Island’s new law amends the statute of limitations for claims of sexual abuse of a child and creates a two-year window for victims to bring otherwise time-barred claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse. The new law takes effect on July 1, 2026.

The new law establishes a two-year civil “revival window” that opens from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028. During this 24-month period, survivors can file civil suits even if the statute of limitations on their claims had previously expired. This is a direct response to a 2023 Rhode Island Supreme Court ruling that the state’s prior 2019 statute of limitations reform only applied to suits against individual perpetrators, not the institutions or supervisors who enabled them.

Future claims must be filed by whichever date is later: either 35 years from the date of the abusive act (or age 53) or seven years from when the survivor first discovers or reasonably connects their adult injuries to the childhood abuse. The new law specifically targets institutions and organizations such as churches, schools, youth programs, healthcare facilities and sports leagues, as well as supervisors.

This law matters enormously for survivors of Diocese of Providence clergy abuse. If you were abused as a child and believed your time to file had passed, that may no longer be true. The window is open now, and it closes on June 30, 2028. Waiting carries real risk. Evidence becomes harder to gather, witnesses become harder to locate, and the window itself will close permanently.

Reaching out to a sexual assault lawyer at Sommers Schwartz costs nothing upfront. The firm handles these cases on a contingency basis, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless compensation is recovered. What happened to you was not your fault. You deserve to know your options, and you deserve someone in your corner who will fight for you.

FAQs About Diocese of Providence Compensation Programs and Settlement History

What did the Diocese of Providence’s early 2000s compensation programs actually offer survivors?

The Diocese ran two programs for survivors whose claims were already time-barred under Rhode Island law. One program offered a flat award of $25,000. The other was a binding arbitration process that could result in an award between $10,000 and $50,000. Both programs required survivors to release their claims against the Diocese. The programs ran from approximately 2002 to 2007, when the Diocese discontinued them. Many survivors who came forward after 2007 had no access to either program.

How much has the Diocese of Providence paid in total to abuse survivors?

As of 2019, the Diocese of Providence publicly acknowledged paying over $21 million to resolve more than 130 clergy abuse complaints. That figure includes the $13.5 million settlement with 36 survivors in 2002 and a separate $1.3 million settlement with four survivors in 2008. It does not capture compensation paid through the high-low arbitration and grant programs, or the Diocese’s practice of reimbursing survivors for counseling costs. The actual total paid to survivors over the years is likely higher.

Does the Diocese of Providence currently have an independent compensation program for survivors?

As of the publication of this page, the Diocese of Providence does not have an active independent compensation program for survivors. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s March 2026 report specifically recommended that the Diocese establish one, modeled after programs in New York, Pennsylvania, and California. Those programs are run by independent administrators, are available regardless of whether a survivor’s civil claim is time-barred, and are non-adversarial. The Diocese has not yet publicly announced such a program in response to that recommendation.

What does Rhode Island’s new law, H-7200A/S-2616A, actually change for Diocese of Providence survivors?

The law, signed by Governor Dan McKee on June 11, 2026, and effective July 1, 2026, amends the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims and creates a two-year revival window. That window runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028. During that period, survivors can file civil claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up abuse, even if those claims would otherwise be time-barred. This is significant because a prior Rhode Island Supreme Court ruling had limited the 2019 statute of limitations reform to claims against individual perpetrators, not institutions like the Diocese.

Can I file a claim anonymously against the Diocese of Providence?

Rhode Island courts have allowed survivors of sexual abuse to file lawsuits under a pseudonym, such as Jane Doe or John Doe, in appropriate circumstances. A court must grant a request for anonymity, but these requests are not uncommon in cases involving childhood sexual abuse. Filing anonymously can allow survivors to pursue justice without their identity being made public. An attorney can walk you through how this process works and whether it applies to your situation. At Sommers Schwartz, every conversation is confidential, and there is no pressure to take any action before you are ready.

More Resources About Religious Orders & Catholic Institutions

• Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Rhode Island *
• Congregation of Christian Brothers in Rhode Island *
• Benedictine Monks / Portsmouth Abbey *
• Dominican Friars in Rhode Island (Providence College) *
• Salesians & Other Orders Serving the Diocese *