Father Louis Diogo (1920–2015)

Father Louis Diogo’s ministry ran through the Portuguese Catholic parishes of Rhode Island — Jesus Saviour in Newport, St. Francis Xavier in East Providence, Our Lady of the Rosary in Providence — capped by twenty-one years at St. Elizabeth Church in Bristol. He is named on the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Credibly Accused Clergy and is among the 72 clergy included in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report on the Diocese (Appendix A, p. 2).

What happened to Father Diogo?

According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, Father Diogo was removed from ministry on May 10, 2006 and died on April 4, 2015. The Attorney General’s record states his status differently: its Appendix A entry lists Diogo as suspended in November 2005, with assignment-history rows reading “1993: Retired” and “2005: Faculties Restricted” (Appendix A, p. 98).

According to the Attorney General’s Appendix, the Diocese received the first complaint against Diogo in February 1993 and, at the same time, learned that a local media outlet was prepared to run a story about the allegations; Bishop Louis Gelineau arranged for Diogo to retire from ministry at St. Elizabeth Church in Bristol, and days after interviewing the complainant, the Diocese helped Diogo prepare a public statement that the allegations against him were “false rumors” — the story apparently never ran (Appendix A, p. 98). A second complaint followed in February 1997. Although a Massachusetts prosecutor’s office informed the Diocese around this time that at least one of the complaints was “quite credible” but could not be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations, the Diocese placed no additional restrictions on Diogo’s ministry (Appendix A, p. 98).

It was not until November 2005, when a complainant contacted the Diocese and the local press because Diogo continued to say mass in Rhode Island, that the Diocese restricted his faculties to private mass only (Appendix A, p. 98). The Diocese received third and fourth complaints in March 2006; it reminded Diogo of the restriction and declined further action on the basis that he was by then 85 years old, and there is no record that those allegations were forwarded to law enforcement (Appendix A, p. 98; Report, p. 164). When a victim pressed in 2006 for Diogo’s permanent removal from the clerical state, a Diocesan official responded that the Bishop had “done all that he can do,” and the report finds no indication that the Diocese ever referred known allegations against Diogo to the Vatican (Report, p. 225). He died on April 4, 2015 (Appendix A, p. 98).

Where Father Diogo served: assignment history

The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:

Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 7, 2026. The Attorney General’s Appendix A entry styles the Newport parish “Church of Jesus Saviour” and adds two rows the Diocese’s list omits: “1993: Retired” and “2005: Faculties Restricted” (Appendix A, p. 98).

What the official lists say

The Diocese of Providence includes Louis Diogo on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased, with the status: “Removed from Ministry 5/10/2006; Died 4/4/2015”. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Louis Diogo among the 72 clergy “determined by the Attorney General to have been credibly accused of child sexual misconduct in the Diocese of Providence” (Appendix A, p. 2). He is one of the 75 names on the Diocese of Providence credibly accused list, explained.

The report’s summary of the allegations states: “Father Louis Diogo reportedly sexually abused two pairs of young sisters in the 1950s and 1960s, while serving as a pastor at St. Francis Xavier Church in East Providence” (Appendix A, p. 98). The same summary records that the Diocese received complaints in 1993, 1997, and March 2006, and that Diogo’s faculties were restricted to private mass only in November 2005 (Appendix A, p. 98).

As the Attorney General’s report itself states, unless otherwise noted, the details in its Appendix A are allegations — not facts proven in a courtroom or admitted by the accused — and the individuals named are generally entitled to a presumption of innocence. Father Diogo was never criminally charged: the Appendix records that the complaint a Massachusetts prosecutor’s office deemed “quite credible” could not be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations, and there is no record that the later complaints were forwarded to law enforcement (Appendix A, p. 98; Report, p. 164; Appendix A, p. 2).

If you were at these parishes in Bristol, Newport, East Providence, or Providence: the Rhode Island revival window

Rhode Island’s revival window allows civil claims for childhood sexual abuse regardless of how long ago it occurred — including the 1950s and 1960s — until June 30, 2028. His death in 2015 does not affect the right to bring a claim; claims are brought against the responsible institution:

• How Rhode Island’s revival window works
• Can you still sue if the priest has died?
• The June 30, 2028 deadline
• Who can file a claim

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Louis Diogo on the credibly accused list? Yes. He appears on the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Credibly Accused Clergy (Deceased) and in Appendix A of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report.

When was he removed from ministry? The Diocese’s published status is “Removed from Ministry 5/10/2006”. The Attorney General’s entry records his status differently, listing him as suspended in November 2005, when his faculties were restricted to private mass only (Appendix A, p. 98).

Was Father Diogo ever criminally charged or convicted? No. A Massachusetts prosecutor’s office informed the Diocese that at least one complaint was “quite credible” but could not be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations, and there is no record that the 2006 complaints were forwarded to law enforcement; Diogo was never charged with or convicted of any crime (Appendix A, p. 98; Report, p. 164).

If it happened decades ago — is it too late? No. The revival window exists precisely for claims the old statute of limitations barred. Claims may be filed until June 30, 2028, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred.

Confidential help

If something happened to you at one of these parishes, you can speak with a Rhode Island attorney confidentially, at no cost and with no obligation. You don’t need records or proof in hand to have a conversation, and you don’t need to have told anyone before. Contact Marin & Murphy Law Firm confidentially.

Other credibly accused clergy who served at these parishes

The official assignment records above overlap with those of other clergy on the official lists — the same institution of record, at any period, which is not an assertion that they served there at the same time:

• Father Edmund Fitzgerald — also served at Jesus Saviour Church, Newport

Related town records: see all verified Providence records, plus West Warwick records, Newport records, and East Providence records.

Reporting resources

Anyone with information about abuse may contact the Rhode Island State Police Special Victims Unit at (401) 764-0142, the RI Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-RI-CHILD (1-800-742-4453), or the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office at (401) 274-4400.

Questions About These Records? Talk With Marin & Murphy — Confidentially

If the assignment history on this page overlaps with your own — a parish, a school, a set of years — and you want to understand what it may mean for a claim under Rhode Island’s revival window, our attorneys can review it with you. Marin & Murphy Law Firm is a Rhode Island law firm representing survivors of childhood sexual abuse under the revival window (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2028). A conversation is free and confidential, nothing is filed and no one is contacted unless you decide, and there is no fee unless you recover. Call (401) 269-3381, or start with our Rhode Island clergy abuse lawyer page.

Corrections: we maintain a corrections policy for these pages, with a named contact and a 48-hour review commitment. If you believe anything on this page is inaccurate, please tell us.

Verification: every fact on this page is checked against both official sources — the Diocese of Providence’s published records and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s report — with source conflicts stated, not silently resolved. See how this database is verified.

Sources: Diocese of Providence, List of Credibly Accused Clergy and individual clergy record (verified July 7, 2026); Rhode Island Attorney General, Report on the Diocese of Providence and Appendix A (March 4, 2026). Where the two official sources differ (removal-from-ministry May 2006 versus suspension November 2005; parish naming; retirement and faculties-restriction entries), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 7, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.