Key Takeaways
- Father Biagio Samuel Turillo was publicly identified in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report on Child Sex Abuse in the Diocese of Providence.
- According to the Report, Turillo sexually abused at least two boys in the 1950s, but the Diocese knew of complaints against him as early as 1952 and repeatedly responded only by transferring him, letting him remain in ministry for another 42 years.
- Turillo was not removed until 2016; at age 96, the Vatican directed him to a “life of prayer and penance,” instead of laicizing him.
Who Was Father Biagio Samuel Turillo?
Father Biagio Samuel Turillo was ordained in 1946 and spent 48 years in active ministry across ten Rhode Island assignments before retiring in 1994. He was removed from ministry in 2016 and died in 2023.
Turillo is identified on the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report and included on the Diocese of Providence’s List of Credibly Accused Clergy. Matching assignment records indicate he is the same “Father B. Samuel Turillo” under whom Father Richard Meglio served as an assistant at Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick starting in 1980. (Appendix A, p. 360)
Father Biagio Samuel Turillo Assignment History
According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report, Turillo served at:
- 1946: St. Benedict Church, Warwick
- 1946–1948: St. Patrick Church, Providence
- 1948–1953: Sacred Heart Church, West Warwick
- 1953–1954: St. Mary Church, Cranston
- 1954–1962: Holy Angels Church, Barrington
- 1962: St. Joseph Hospital, Providence
- 1962–1965: St. Anthony Church, Woonsocket
- 1965–1979: St. Ann Church, Providence, then St. Joseph Church, Hope Valley
- 1979–1994: Sacred Heart Church, West Warwick
- 1994: Retired; 2016: Suspended on leave
The Allegations Against Father Biagio Samuel Turillo
Turillo’s file documents a Diocese that learned of his conduct in 1952 and, rather than investigate or remove him, simply moved him from parish to parish for the next decade.
- January 1952: A boy wrote to the Diocese describing how Turillo touched and kissed him inappropriately at a youth basketball game in West Warwick, asking whether he “wanted it” before suggesting they “go out.” There is no indication this complaint was investigated at the time.
- March 1953: An undated Chancery memorandum, later translated from Latin, describes Turillo being accused of sexual misconduct with several unidentified boys at the same parish. Bishop Russell McVinney sent him for two weeks of “spiritual exercises” at a Massachusetts monastery, then reassigned him to St. Mary’s in Cranston.
- Mid to late 1950s: A second boy, 11 at the time, said Turillo molested him behind a school wall near Holy Angels Church in Barrington. He did not report the abuse until 2016.
- 1962: The Barrington Police Chief informed Bishop McVinney that Turillo was accused of “serious sexual misconduct with scandal resulting” involving an adult. McVinney transferred him to a hospital chaplaincy, writing in a personal note, “I gave him an ultimatum. If ever I hear another word about this sex perversity, I shall strip him of his priestly faculties and send him home.” Turillo continued in active parish ministry for another 32 years regardless.
- 1965: The pastor of St. Anthony’s in Woonsocket asked Bishop McVinney to transfer Turillo again, calling it “a matter of conscience” without further explanation in the surviving records. Turillo was transferred once more, eventually returning to Sacred Heart in West Warwick in 1979, where he stayed until retiring in 1994.
In April 2016, the second complainant reported his abuse to compliance director Kevin O’Brien, who referred the case to the State Police the following month; police confirmed the statute of limitations had long run. O’Brien interviewed Turillo, then 96, noting his age made the interview difficult but also observing “several answers and behaviors…consistent with indicators of possible deception.” Bishop Thomas Tobin revoked Turillo’s faculties days later and referred the matter to the Vatican, whose file by then included the 1952 letter, the 1953 memorandum, and the 1962 records. Despite that history, Tobin recommended leniency, writing that he did not consider Turillo “a danger to young people” and suggesting he live out his life in “prayer and penance” rather than face laicization, which the Vatican ordered anyway.
Turillo was never criminally charged. When the second complainant reported his abuse in 2016, state police confirmed the statute of limitations had already expired
Support for Survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse
If you or someone you love was sexually abused by Father Biagio Samuel Turillo, Andreozzi + Foote is here to help.
Recent changes to Rhode Island law have created an opportunity for survivors to pursue civil claims that may have previously been barred by the statute of limitations.
At Andreozzi + Foote, we represent survivors of clergy sexual abuse across the nation. Our team takes a trauma-informed approach to every case, ensuring survivors are heard, supported, and empowered throughout the legal process.
If you were abused by Father Turillo or another religious leader, we encourage you to contact us today to learn about your legal options.
Every consultation is free and completely confidential.
Image sources: Sacred Heart Church, 820 Providence Street, West Warwick, RI, © Google, Google Business Profile.
