WORCESTER, Mass. - A new report by the Diocese of Worcester identified 173 credible allegations of cleric abuse of minors since the diocese was established in 1950.
The diocese said the report by Bishop Roberth McManus serves as an update to the 2004 report by then-Bishop Daniel Reilly. The total number of allegations made in the review, including allegations deemed unsubstantiated false or withdrawn, was 209.
Most of the allegations were reported to have occurred between the 1960s and 1980s, but 93 more credible or substantiated allegations have been made since the 2004 report.
A large majority of the substantiated claims involved the abuse of boys. Less than 25% of the substantiated claims involved the abuse of girls, according to the diocese.