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John Doe alleges former Providence bishop assaulted him at Barrington church in 1980s
A lawsuit filed against the Diocese of Providence and St. Luke’s Parish accuses the late Bishop Louis Gelineau of sexually assaulting an altar boy twice in the early 1980s. The case is among dozens brought after Rhode Island expanded the time survivors have to file abuse claims.
A man identified in court papers as John Doe alleges that former Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Louis Gelineau sexually assaulted him twice at St. Luke’s Church in Barrington in 1983 or 1984, when he was about 12 or 13.
The lawsuit, filed Friday against the Diocese of Providence and the parish, is the first known case to accuse Gelineau of personally abusing a child. Gelineau, who led the diocese from 1972 to 1997, died in 2024 at age 96.
The complaint alleges that the abuse occurred during two visits Gelineau made to the parish. It also says the plaintiff was first abused at age 10 by the parish priest, the Rev. Oscar Ferland, and that the abuse continued for years. Ferland is included on a list of clergy credibly accused of abuse released by the Rhode Island attorney general’s office. Gelineau was not on that list.
The filing further alleges that Ferland brought the boy to the rectory during Gelineau’s visits and that the bishop assaulted him there. The claims have not been proven in court.
The case is among dozens of lawsuits filed against the diocese in recent months after Rhode Island enacted a law in June 2026 allowing survivors to bring some claims that had previously been barred by the statute of limitations.
In a statement, the diocese said allegations in recently filed complaints involve events averaging about 50 years ago, creating challenges that include lost evidence, unavailable witnesses and altered memories. It said the claims are in active litigation and that its responses would be made in court. The diocese also said accounts from survivors prompt anguish and recalled efforts over many decades toward healing and reconciliation.
Gelineau rejected accusations of a cover-up in a 1997 interview, saying they were “absolutely an unfounded and unjust accusation.” The diocese acknowledged in 2019 that it had paid more than $20 million in legal settlements.