Father Roger E. Belhumeur served as a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Providence for over three decades. He was ordained on May 27, 1961, and served in parishes across Rhode Island until his retirement in June 1994. He died on September 28, 2010. The Diocese of Providence publicly named him as credibly accused on its list published July 1, 2019, and the allegation against him was received after his death. For survivors who may have experienced abuse at his hands, or at the hands of any credibly accused clergy member, the law has changed in ways that matter deeply. You are not alone, and what happened to you was not your fault.

Table of Contents

• Who Was Father Roger Belhumeur and Where Did He Serve?
• What the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report Revealed About Belhumeur and the Diocese
• How the Diocese Handled Abuse Complaints, and Why That Matters for Your Claim
• Rhode Island’s 2026 Child Sexual Abuse Law and What It Means for Belhumeur Survivors
• Your Rights as a Survivor and How Sommers Schwartz Can Help
• FAQs About Father Belhumeur and Rhode Island Clergy Abuse Claims

Who Was Father Roger Belhumeur and Where Did He Serve?

Father Roger Belhumeur was born on March 29, 1926, and ordained on May 27, 1961. His assignment history within the Diocese of Providence spanned multiple Rhode Island communities. According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office credibly accused clergy records, his known assignments included St. Joseph College in California (1961–1962), Immaculate Conception Church in Cranston (1962–1963 and again 1969–1973), Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in West Warwick (1963–1965), Our Lady of Providence Seminary in Warwick (1963–1973), St. Rose of Lima Church in Warwick (1965–1969), Mary, Immaculate Queen Novitiate in Newport (1973–1979), St. Agnes Church in Providence (1979–1991), and St. Mary Church in Newport (1991–1994). He retired as Pastor Emeritus at St. Agnes Church in Providence.

That is a wide geographic footprint. Warwick, Cranston, Providence, Newport, and West Warwick are all communities where children and families came into regular contact with him. For survivors who attended any of these parishes or associated programs during those years, the name Father Belhumeur may carry a painful weight.

The Rhode Island Attorney General’s March 2026 report, which examined decades of abuse within the Diocese, included Father Belhumeur among the clergy covered. The report noted that in May 1970, a man wrote a letter to the Diocese stating that Belhumeur had sexually assaulted his teenage son, that the abuse stopped after the father’s complaint, and that the family were parishioners of St. Rose of Lima in Warwick, where Belhumeur was assigned, with some of the abuse reportedly taking place during his subsequent assignment at Immaculate Conception in Cranston. Despite this complaint, he was kept in ministry.

What the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report Revealed About Belhumeur and the Diocese

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha released a sweeping report detailing decades of child sexual abuse and systemic coverup within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, identifying 72 clergy members as “credibly accused” of misconduct. Father Belhumeur is among those identified. The report did not arrive without context. It is the culmination of a years-long investigation stemming from a 2019 agreement between the state’s top prosecutor and former Bishop Thomas Tobin, which granted state investigators unprecedented access to the church’s “secret archives,” personnel files, and internal records dating back to 1950.

The alleged victim in the Belhumeur case came forward to the Diocese in September 2005, saying he was sexually abused by Belhumeur 30 to 40 times between 1969 and 1970, and was “stunned” to learn of his father’s 1970 letter. The Diocese had received the father’s complaint decades earlier and never acted to remove Belhumeur from ministry. Instead, Belhumeur continued serving Rhode Island parishes for more than two additional decades after that initial complaint.

This pattern was not unique to Belhumeur. The Attorney General’s report documented a broader institutional failure. Bishops moved accused priests between assignments rather than removing them. The report described how when investigators examined allegations against Roger Belhumeur, Monsignor John Darcy pointed out that the accuser was nearly 80 and said “I don’t know if he’s got all his marbles,” according to the report. That response, documented in official records, speaks to how the Diocese treated survivors who came forward. If you were one of them, you deserved to be believed. You still do.

How the Diocese Handled Abuse Complaints, and Why That Matters for Your Claim

The Diocese of Providence’s response to abuse complaints followed a pattern that the Attorney General’s report described as institutional concealment. Priests with credible allegations were moved to new assignments rather than removed from ministry. In some cases, they were placed in roles that gave them continued access to children and vulnerable populations.

The Attorney General’s report documented this pattern across multiple priests. Father Biagio Samuel Turillo, for example, faced multiple complaints before being reassigned to hospital chaplaincy work. Father Armand Ventre was returned to active ministry after a criminal acquittal and subsequently faced new allegations during his first year in his new role. These are not isolated incidents. They reflect an institutional culture that prioritized protecting the Diocese over protecting children.

Why does this matter for a civil claim? Because Rhode Island law now allows survivors to pursue claims not just against individual perpetrators, but against the institutions and supervisors who enabled or covered up the abuse. In 2023, the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled that the 2019 law only applied to suits against individual perpetrators, not the institutions or supervisors who enabled them. The 2026 law was written specifically to close that gap. If the Diocese received a complaint about Father Belhumeur in 1970 and kept him in ministry anyway, that institutional decision is now squarely within the reach of civil litigation. A qualified sexual abuse lawyer can help you understand whether the Diocese’s conduct in your specific situation supports a claim against the institution itself.

Rhode Island’s 2026 Child Sexual Abuse Law and What It Means for Belhumeur Survivors

On June 11, 2026, Governor Dan McKee signed House Bill H-7200A and Senate Bill S-2616A into law. The 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 the Rhode Island Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling, which left many survivors without a path to hold the Diocese accountable.

For survivors of Father Belhumeur’s abuse, this window is significant. Many of the known incidents occurred between 1969 and 1973, during his assignments in Warwick and Cranston. Under the old statute of limitations rules, claims from that era were almost certainly time-barred. By temporarily suspending the statute of limitations for these claims, the legislation offers those who suffered trauma decades ago a chance to seek justice against a perpetrator and any other party that may have had some level of involvement in the claims, regardless of how much time has passed. The window is open now. It closes June 30, 2028. Survivors who have never come forward, or who tried before and were turned away, now have a real legal opportunity.

Working with an experienced sexual assault lawyer before the window closes gives you the best chance to preserve your claim and understand your options under this new law.

Your Rights as a Survivor and How Sommers Schwartz Can Help

Coming forward after years of silence takes real courage. You may have spent decades wondering if anyone would believe you, or assuming the legal system had no room for your story. Rhode Island’s new law changes that calculation. The revival window exists precisely because lawmakers recognized that trauma delays disclosure, and that survivors deserve a fair chance at justice regardless of when they find the strength to seek it.

Sommers Schwartz represents survivors of clergy sexual abuse and institutional misconduct across Rhode Island and beyond. Our attorneys understand the Diocese of Providence, its history of handling abuse complaints, and the legal framework now in place under H-7200A and S-2616A. We handle these cases with care and with full respect for the courage it takes to come forward. We know that what happened to you was not your fault, and we will never treat it as anything less than the serious harm it was.

If you were abused by Father Belhumeur, or by any other credibly accused priest in the Diocese of Providence, you may have a civil claim against the Diocese itself, not just against the individual priest. The new law specifically targets institutions and organizations such as churches, schools, and youth programs, as well as supervisors. That means the Diocese of Providence, which received a complaint about Father Belhumeur as early as 1970 and kept him in ministry, is a proper defendant under this law.

Reaching out to a sexual assault attorney at Sommers Schwartz costs you nothing upfront. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no legal fees unless we recover compensation for you. Your consultation is confidential. You can choose to remain anonymous during the early stages of your case. The most important step is simply making the call. Contact Sommers Schwartz today to speak with a member of our team about your experience and your rights under Rhode Island’s new law.

FAQs About Father Belhumeur and Rhode Island Clergy Abuse Claims

Was Father Roger Belhumeur officially identified as credibly accused by the Diocese of Providence?

Yes. The Diocese of Providence publicly named Father Roger Belhumeur on its credibly accused clergy list on July 1, 2019. The allegation against him was received after his death in 2010. He is also included in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s March 2026 report on child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence, which documented that a complaint about his conduct was made to the Diocese as early as May 1970 and that he was kept in ministry despite that complaint.

Can I still file a civil lawsuit if Father Belhumeur is deceased?

Father Belhumeur’s death does not necessarily end your legal options. Rhode Island’s new law, H-7200A and S-2616A, signed on June 11, 2026, and effective July 1, 2026, creates a two-year revival window allowing survivors to bring claims against institutions and supervisors who enabled or covered up abuse. The Diocese of Providence, which received a complaint about Belhumeur in 1970 and kept him in ministry, may be a proper defendant in a civil claim. You should speak with an attorney as soon as possible to evaluate your specific situation.

What does Rhode Island’s two-year revival window actually cover?

The revival window, which runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, allows survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file civil claims that were previously blocked by the statute of limitations. The law specifically allows claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse, not just against individual perpetrators. This is a critical distinction because it allows survivors to pursue the Diocese of Providence directly for its institutional failures. All time-barred claims must be filed before the window closes on June 30, 2028.

What if I am not sure whether what happened to me qualifies as abuse?

You do not need to have a legal definition in mind before you call an attorney. If a priest, including Father Belhumeur, touched you in a sexual way, showed you sexual material, or engaged in any sexual conduct with you when you were a child, that is abuse. It was not your fault. It does not matter if you were confused at the time, if you did not resist, or if years passed before you understood what happened. A compassionate attorney can listen to your experience and help you understand whether you have a claim, with no pressure and no judgment.

How do I get started with a claim against the Diocese of Providence?

The first step is a confidential conversation with an attorney who handles Rhode Island clergy abuse cases. Sommers Schwartz represents survivors across Rhode Island and can evaluate your claim under the new H-7200A revival window at no cost to you. You may be able to file anonymously as a Jane Doe or John Doe plaintiff, which protects your identity during litigation. The two-year window opened July 1, 2026, and closes June 30, 2028, so time is a real factor. Contact Sommers Schwartz to schedule a free, confidential consultation and take the first step toward understanding your rights.

More Resources About Clergy Abuse

• Diocese of Providence Clergy Abuse
• Father John Abruzzese
• Father Raymond Allard
• Father Argencourt
• Father Azzarone
• Father Barnes
• Father Battel
• Father Bordignon
• Father Dennis Brodeur
• Father Campbell
• Father Carpentier
• Father Cavanaugh
• Father Charland
• Father Corbesero
• Father Crafton
• Father D’Angelo
• Father DeAngelis
• Father Louis Demers
• Father Albert Desrosiers
• Father Paul Desrosiers
• Father Diogo
• Father Dolan
• Father Doran
• Father Dunn
• Father Dziob
• Father Edes
• Father Feeney
• Father Oscar Ferland
• Father Ferry
• Father Fitzgerald
• Father Flanagan
• Father Gagnon
• Father Gillooly
• Father Gorton
• Father Guertin
• Father Holden
• Father James Jackson
• Father Edward Kelley
• Father Lacasse
• Father LaMountain
• Father Leboeuf
• Father Paul Henry Leech
• Father Lepire
• Father Lonardo
• Father Philip Magaldi
• Father Manu
• Father Normand Marcantonio
• Father Joseph McCra
• Father McIntyre
• Father Meehan
• Father Meglio
• Father Menard
• Father Micarelli
• Father O’Connell
• Father J.F. O’Neil
• Father W. O’Neill
• Father Powers
• Father Rafferty
• Father Raiche
• Father Reynolds
• Father Rocha
• Father Sadowski
• Father Santagata
• Father Francis Santilli
• Father John Scagnelli
• Father Smyth
• Father Tanguay
• Father Tedeschi
• Father Tormey
• Father Tousignant
• Father Turillo
• Father Ventre