Father Biagio Samuel Turillo is one of the most thoroughly documented cases of clergy sexual abuse in the history of the Diocese of Providence. His name appears in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s report on child sexual abuse, released in March 2026, and on the Diocese’s own Credibly Accused Clergy list, published in July 2019. If you were harmed by Father Turillo, or by another priest while the Diocese looked the other way, you deserve to know what the records show, what your legal rights are, and how a sexual assault lawyer can help you pursue justice under Rhode Island’s new law.

Table of Contents

• Who Was Father Biagio Samuel Turillo and What Did the Diocese Know?
• A Pattern of Transfers Instead of Accountability
• The 2016 Disclosure and Why Prosecution Was Impossible
• Rhode Island’s New Child Sexual Abuse Law and What It Means for Survivors
• Your Rights as a Survivor and How Sommers Schwartz Can Help
• FAQs About Father Turillo and Rhode Island Clergy Sexual Abuse Claims

Who Was Father Biagio Samuel Turillo and What Did the Diocese Know?

Father Biagio Samuel Turillo was ordained on June 15, 1946, and served as a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Providence for nearly five decades. According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s report on child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence, complaints of sexual misconduct against Turillo began as early as 1952, when a boy alleged that Turillo touched and kissed him at a Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) basketball game at West Warwick Junior High School.

Just over a year later, in March 1953, Turillo was again accused of sexual misconduct, this time involving several young boys at Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick. The Attorney General’s report notes that a translated Chancery Office record states Turillo “was accused of having committed sexual misconduct with several young boys of the Parish of Sacred Heart.” There is no indication in the Diocese’s records that either complaint was referred to law enforcement.

Rather than contact police, Bishop Russell McVinney sent Turillo to the Monastery of Saint Gabriel in Brighton, Massachusetts, for roughly two weeks of “penance.” After completing that stay, Turillo was returned to active ministry, assigned to Saint Mary Church in Cranston. He was then transferred to Holy Angels Church in Barrington in 1954, where, according to the report, he allegedly molested an 11-year-old boy at the Maple Avenue School between 1956 and 1958.

The Diocese received a further complaint in April 1962, when a Barrington police officer informed Bishop McVinney that Turillo had committed “serious sexual misconduct with scandal resulting” while at Holy Angels. The Bishop did not remove Turillo from the priesthood. Instead, he issued a warning and reassigned him, first to St. Joseph Hospital in Providence, and then, just five months later, to St. Anthony’s Church in Woonsocket.

A Pattern of Transfers Instead of Accountability

The Diocese of Providence’s response to complaints against Father Turillo followed a pattern that the Attorney General’s 2026 report describes throughout its findings: move the priest, say nothing to law enforcement, and allow him continued access to children and vulnerable people.

After the April 1962 complaint, Bishop McVinney “severely admonished” Turillo and warned him that any further misconduct would result in the loss of his priestly faculties. But within five months, Turillo was transferred again, to St. Anthony’s Church in Woonsocket, with no public disclosure of the reasons. In August 1965, the pastor at St. Anthony’s wrote to Bishop McVinney requesting Turillo’s transfer as “a matter of conscience” that was “getting serious.” The Bishop acted within a week, moving Turillo to Saint Ann Church in Providence.

Turillo continued to receive new parish assignments throughout the following decades. He served at St. Joseph Church in Hope Valley from 1971 to 1979, then returned to Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick, where he remained until his retirement in June 1994. At retirement, he received the honorary title of pastor emeritus and a congratulatory letter from Bishop Gelineau praising him as “an outstanding priest of the Diocese over these many years.”

None of the prior complaints against Turillo appear to have been disclosed to incoming parish communities. None were referred to law enforcement during the decades he remained in active ministry. The Diocese’s records, as produced to the Attorney General’s Office, show no investigation of the 1952 or 1953 complaints, and no effort to identify or contact the boys who were allegedly harmed.

This pattern, repeated across dozens of priests in the Diocese, is precisely what Rhode Island lawmakers cited when passing the new child sexual abuse law in 2026. Survivors of clergy abuse who want to understand how the Diocese’s conduct may affect their civil claims can speak with a sexual assault attorney at Sommers Schwartz for a confidential review of their situation.

The 2016 Disclosure and Why Prosecution Was Impossible

It was not until 2016, roughly 60 years after the alleged abuse at Holy Angels Church in Barrington, that a survivor reported directly to the Diocese that Turillo had molested him as a child between 1956 and 1958. At that point, Turillo was in his 90s. The Diocese suspended his faculties on June 29, 2016, and referred the complaint to the Rhode Island State Police and the Attorney General’s Office.

However, prosecution was impossible. The statute of limitations, which sets the legal deadline for bringing criminal charges, had long since expired. The Diocese’s referral to law enforcement in 2016 did not appear to include any mention of the earlier complaints from 1952 and 1953, which had been known to Bishop McVinney decades before.

The Attorney General’s report also notes that when investigators interviewed the survivor, he mentioned another boy who may also have been abused by Turillo around the same time. While no direct evidence confirmed abuse of the second boy, the report notes that the name the survivor provided “after all these years” matched a name already linked to Turillo in the Diocese’s own files.

The Diocese also referred the complaint against Turillo to the Vatican. Rather than remove him from the priesthood entirely, the Vatican imposed on him a “life of prayer and penance.” Turillo’s name appeared on the Diocese’s original July 2019 Credibly Accused List. He died on July 17, 2023.

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

For survivors whose claims were previously blocked by the statute of limitations, a major legal change took effect on July 1, 2026. Governor Dan McKee signed legislation amending the statute of limitations for child victim claims of sexual abuse and creating 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 legislation (2026-H 7200A, 2026-S 2616A) was sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Carol Hagan McEntee and Sen. Mark McKenney. The new law establishes a two-year civil “revival window” that opens from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2028, during which survivors can file civil suits even if the statute of limitations on their claims had previously expired.

This is critically important for survivors of Father Turillo and others like him. For years, the expiration of the statute of limitations made civil claims against the Diocese nearly impossible. 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 directly addresses that gap.

The new law specifically targets institutions and organizations such as churches, schools, youth programs, healthcare facilities and sports leagues, as well as supervisors. That means the Diocese of Providence itself, as an institution that received complaints about Turillo and chose to transfer rather than remove him, may now face civil liability under this window.

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. For those whose time has already passed, the revival window is the critical opportunity, and it closes on June 30, 2028.

Your Rights as a Survivor and How Sommers Schwartz Can Help

If you were abused by Father Turillo, or if you suffered abuse at any of the parishes or institutions where he served, including Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick, Holy Angels Church in Barrington, St. Anthony’s Church in Woonsocket, or St. Ann Church in Providence, what happened to you was not your fault. Nothing you did, said, or believed as a child made you responsible for what an adult in a position of trust chose to do.

The records show that the Diocese of Providence had repeated warnings about Father Turillo going back to 1952. Church leaders chose silence and reassignment over disclosure and accountability. That institutional failure is exactly what the new law was designed to address. Survivors who were told their time had run out may now have a path forward.

Sommers Schwartz represents survivors of clergy sexual abuse and institutional misconduct across Rhode Island and multiple states. Our attorneys understand that coming forward is one of the hardest decisions a survivor can make. We listen. We do not judge. We do not pressure. Every conversation is confidential, and there is no cost to speak with us.

The revival window opened July 1, 2026, and closes June 30, 2028. That deadline is firm. If you believe you have a claim, speaking with a knowledgeable sexual abuse lawyer now gives you the best chance to understand your options before that window closes. Survivors of Diocese of Providence clergy abuse deserve to be heard, and Sommers Schwartz is ready to stand with you.

FAQs About Father Turillo and Rhode Island Clergy Sexual Abuse Claims

Was Father Turillo ever criminally charged for sexual abuse?

No. When the first survivor reported abuse to the Diocese in 2016, the Diocese referred the complaint to the Rhode Island State Police. However, criminal prosecution was precluded because the statute of limitations for criminal charges had expired long before the report was made. Turillo was in his 90s at the time, and he died in July 2023. The expiration of the criminal statute of limitations does not automatically close the door on civil claims, which operate under different rules.

Can I still file a civil lawsuit related to Father Turillo even though he has died?

Yes, potentially. Civil claims in clergy abuse cases frequently target the institution, not just the individual priest. The Diocese of Providence, as the entity that received complaints about Turillo as far back as 1952 and chose to transfer him rather than remove him or report him, may bear civil liability for enabling the abuse to continue. Rhode Island’s new law (H-7200A/S-2616A), effective July 1, 2026, specifically creates a revival window for claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse of a child.

What is the deadline for filing a claim under Rhode Island’s new lookback window?

The revival window created by H-7200A/S-2616A, signed by Governor Dan McKee on June 11, 2026, and effective July 1, 2026, closes on June 30, 2028. Any survivor whose civil claim was previously barred by the statute of limitations must file before that date or risk losing the opportunity permanently. Because building a civil case takes time, reaching out to an attorney as early as possible is strongly advisable.

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

You do not need to have a legal definition in mind before you reach out. If a priest, deacon, or other church official touched you in a sexual way, exposed himself to you, showed you sexual material, or engaged in any other unwanted sexual conduct when you were a child, that conduct may form the basis of a civil claim. A confidential conversation with an attorney at Sommers Schwartz costs you nothing and places no obligation on you. Our attorneys will listen to what happened and explain your options honestly and clearly.

Does it matter which parish Father Turillo was assigned to when the abuse occurred?

The specific location can matter for identifying which entities may be named in a civil claim, but it does not determine whether you have a claim. Father Turillo served at multiple parishes across Rhode Island over nearly five decades, including Sacred Heart in West Warwick, Holy Angels in Barrington, St. Anthony’s in Woonsocket, St. Ann in Providence, St. Joseph Church in Hope Valley, and others. Regardless of where the abuse occurred, an attorney can help you identify the proper parties and assess your rights under Rhode Island’s current law.

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 Belhumeur
• 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 Ventre