Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell released a 203-page report on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield and Worcester. Its count: 275 accused clergy and 944 survivors. Its conclusion about prosecutions, in its own words: “The Attorney General’s Office cannot indict or prosecute the crimes it found because of statutes of limitations and other legal constraints.”
We read the report. Here is what it found, why no one is being charged, and what survivors can still do under Massachusetts law, including the $20,000 cap the Attorney General now wants the Legislature to eliminate.
The numbers
The report compiled accused clergy and survivors “based on a review of records produced by the dioceses as well as other sources.” It cautions that the numbers “are not filtered by any assessment of credibility,” include members of religious orders, and are presented “not as an exact accounting … but to document just how widespread the abuse was.”
| Diocese | Accused clergy | Survivors |
|---|---|---|
| Fall River | 92 | 469 |
| Springfield | 93 | 259 |
| Worcester | 90 | 216 |
| Total | 275 | 944 |
“Accused clergy” includes “bishops, priests, religious brothers, deacons, and nuns.” The investigation began in 2019 and reviewed more than 300,000 pages of records, “including every available personnel file of accused priests,” and interviewed more than 100 people. The dioceses provided records in response to grand jury subpoenas; the report says “no substantive testimony was taken before the grand jury.”
What it says the dioceses did
According to the Attorney General’s announcement and the report, diocesan leaders, especially before 2002:
- failed to act on allegations and warning signs;
- transferred accused and offending priests to other parishes without disclosing why;
- returned priests to ministry after treatment without adequate supervision;
- concealed the reasons priests were removed from ministry, and used nondisclosure agreements;
- failed to consistently report allegations to law enforcement.
The report credits reforms since 2002 but finds that “written policies were not consistently followed.” It notes that the Worcester Diocese “remains the only diocese in Massachusetts that does not maintain a publicly accessible list of credibly accused clergy.”
Why no one is being charged
The report gives three reasons.
1. Some conduct was not a crime yet. Massachusetts criminalized reckless endangerment of a child and made clergy mandated reporters of child abuse in 2002. “Because the constitution prohibits the retroactive application of certain criminal laws,” the report says, those statutes “cannot be used to prosecute individuals for acts committed prior to the enactment.” Most of the diocesan misconduct it documents happened before 2002.
2. The statute of limitations ran out, and changing it later does not revive old cases. The report traces the history. Most crimes carry a six-year limit. The Legislature extended the limit for some crimes against children, including rape of a child, to ten years in 1985, delayed the start of the clock until age sixteen or a report to police in 1987, extended it to fifteen years in 1996, and in 2006 “eliminated the criminal statute of limitations for most child sexual abuse felonies and reckless endangerment,” with a requirement of independent corroboration for charges brought more than 27 years after the crime. But, the report explains, “amendments to criminal statutes of limitations apply only to offenses that were not time barred under the earlier version of the statute as of the effective date of the amendment.” A case already barred stays barred.
3. Many of the people involved are dead.
Three matters were referred to district attorneys during the investigation. One, to the Worcester County District Attorney, resulted in criminal charges in District Court, according to the Attorney General’s office. The report does not identify that case in the material we reviewed.
What survivors can still do: civil claims
The civil deadline is long. Under G.L. c. 260, § 4C, a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse of a minor must be brought “within 35 years of the acts alleged to have caused an injury or condition or within 7 years of the time the victim discovered or reasonably should have discovered that an emotional or psychological injury or condition was caused by said act, whichever period expires later,” and the clock does not start until the child turns 18.
But damages against a charity are capped. Under G.L. c. 231, § 85K, when a tort is “committed in the course of any activity carried on to accomplish directly the charitable purposes” of a charitable corporation, trust or association, “liability … shall not exceed the sum of twenty thousand dollars exclusive of interest and costs.” The cap does not apply to activities that are “primarily commercial.” Whether a claim against a diocese or a Church entity falls within the cap depends on the facts, and claims against the individual abuser are not limited by it.
What the Attorney General wants the Legislature to do
The Attorney General is asking the Legislature to consider:
- “Eliminating the $20,000 charitable immunity cap for civil claims involving child sexual abuse”;
- “Eliminating the statute of limitations for civil claims involving child sexual abuse”; and
- “Creating an indefinite lookback period to give survivors whose civil claims have already expired an opportunity to seek justice.”
A lookback window would let survivors whose claims are already time-barred sue during a set period.
The report also asks the three dioceses to put survivors first with trauma-informed practices, investigate allegations independently, enforce restrictions on accused priests, publish credibly accused lists, and strengthen oversight.
Where to get help
The Attorney General’s report page lists support resources for survivors, and the Massachusetts Children’s Alliance maintains a statewide directory of Children’s Advocacy Centers. Anyone with information about current abuse of a child should contact local police or the Department of Children and Families.
Frequently asked questions
What did the Massachusetts diocese report find?
The Attorney General’s September 30, 2026 report counted 275 accused clergy and 944 survivors in the Dioceses of Fall River (92 and 469), Springfield (93 and 259) and Worcester (90 and 216), and documented decades of failures by diocesan leaders to respond to abuse, especially before 2002.
Why were no priests charged after the report?
Because much of the conduct predated the 2002 laws criminalizing reckless endangerment of a child and making clergy mandated reporters, the statute of limitations had expired for other crimes, and later extensions do not revive time-barred cases. Many of those involved have died. One referral to the Worcester District Attorney did lead to charges in District Court.
How long do survivors have to sue in Massachusetts?
Under G.L. c. 260, section 4C, 35 years from the abuse, or 7 years from when the survivor discovered or should have discovered the injury was caused by it, whichever is later, with the clock starting at age 18.
What is the $20,000 charitable immunity cap?
G.L. c. 231, section 85K limits tort liability of a charity to $20,000, plus interest and costs, when the tort occurs in the course of activity directly carrying out its charitable purposes. The Attorney General is asking the Legislature to eliminate the cap for child sexual abuse claims.
Does the Worcester Diocese publish a list of credibly accused clergy?
No. According to the Attorney General, it is the only Massachusetts diocese that does not maintain a publicly accessible list.
Sources: Office of the Attorney General, Report on Diocese Investigation (2026), 203 pages, read at mass.gov, including the Executive Summary, Legal Framework, Scope of the Misconduct and Findings sections; Attorney General’s press release, September 30, 2026; NBC10 Boston, September 30, 2026. Statutory text of G.L. c. 260, section 4C and G.L. c. 231, section 85K read at malegislature.gov. The numbers in the report are the Attorney General’s compilation and are not filtered for credibility. The dioceses’ responses were not available at publication. General information about Massachusetts law, not legal advice.