Key Takeaways
- Father Richard Meglio 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, Meglio allegedly sexually abused at least three boys between 1972 and 1986, including a 12-year-old patient he met while serving as a hospital chaplain.
- The report states diocesan officials had concerns about Meglio’s conduct as early as 1979 but continued to reassign him to new parishes for years before finally granting him a leave of absence in 1988, after allegations unrelated to child sexual abuse came to light.
Who Was Father Richard Meglio?
Father Richard L. Meglio was a priest in the Diocese of Providence who served in several Rhode Island parishes between 1971 and his removal from ministry in 1988.
Meglio remained in active ministry for 17 years despite internal concerns about his conduct and was even sent out of state for evaluation rather than removed outright. He is identified on the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report and is included on the Diocese of Providence’s List of Credibly Accused Clergy.
According to the report, Meglio was accused of sexually abusing three boys while in active ministry in the Diocese of Providence. His first known victim reported the abuse to the Diocese in 1994, describing incidents that began around 1972 when he was 12 years old and a patient at Butler Hospital in Providence. (Appendix A, p. 247)
Father Richard Meglio Assignment History
According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s report, Meglio served:
- 1971: St. Bernard Church, North Kingstown
- 1971–1972: St. Mary Church, Cranston
- 1972–1973: St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church, Pawtucket
- 1973–1980: Our Lady of Grace Church, Johnston
- 1980–1982: Sacred Heart Church, West Warwick
- 1983: Continuing Education & Spirituality, Via Coeli, Jemez Springs, New Mexico
- 1983–1988: St. Mark Church, Cranston
- 1988: Suspended on leave
The Allegations Against Father Richard Meglio
Meglio was reassigned multiple times despite internal concerns about his behavior and was ultimately removed only after allegations unrelated to child sexual abuse came to light.
- 1972: According to the report, Meglio’s first known victim was a 12-year-old boy admitted to Butler Hospital, where Meglio was assigned to visit him after the boy’s family requested pastoral care. Meglio reportedly took the boy from the hospital to the church rectory in Johnston and sexually abused him. The complainant later alleged that a pastor at Our Lady of Grace knew of the abuse but did nothing and that Bishop Louis Gelineau and Auxiliary Bishop Kenneth Angell were aware Meglio “had a habit” of making sexual advances on young boys.
- 1977: A second boy, 16 and homeless at the time, said Meglio invited him into his car near a Providence park and performed oral sex on him in exchange for jewelry. This complainant also told the Diocese that another priest, Father William Tanguay, separately solicited him for oral sex in exchange for money.
- 1979: Auxiliary Bishop Angell wrote to Bishop Gelineau after the pastor of Our Lady of Grace asked to have Meglio reassigned, citing concerns that Meglio “projects an image of worldliness.” The Diocese transferred Meglio to Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick in 1980, where he served under Father B. Samuel Turillo.
- 1983 to 1986: A third boy said Meglio began abusing him at age 13, ultimately hundreds of times at St. Mark’s rectory and Meglio’s beach house in Snug Harbor, sometimes pulling the boy from school under the guise of parish duties. That same year, Bishop Gelineau sent Meglio to Via Coeli, a New Mexico facility the Diocese used for priests suspected of misconduct. Gelineau’s referral letter called Meglio’s lifestyle “excessively worldly” but did not mention child sexual abuse.
- 1988: After Meglio returned to St. Mark’s, another Diocese of Providence priest, Father Roger Belhumeur, reported that a teenage rectory worker said Meglio had “physically approached” him. A parish housekeeper separately discovered financial irregularities. The Diocese granted Meglio a leave of absence that April and revoked his priestly faculties, a status that remains in effect, but did not report the suspected $80,000 theft to law enforcement.
Father Richard Meglio’s Criminal Proceedings
Meglio has never faced criminal charges. The Diocese forwarded the second and third complainants’ allegations to Rhode Island State Police in 2000 and 2009, but neither case moved forward. The third complainant agreed to pursue his complaint in 2010, then missed follow-up interviews before police closed the case in 2011. When his attorney revived the complaint in 2020, police found during a well-being check that he had died of a suspected overdose two days earlier. The Attorney General’s Office invited Meglio to respond in 2024. He did not.
Civil Litigation Against Father Richard Meglio
In June 1994, Meglio’s first victim sued Meglio, Bishop Gelineau, Auxiliary Bishop Angell, Our Lady of Grace Church, and Butler Hospital. The complainant died of an overdose in 1997, and the Diocese settled with his estate for $500,000 in 2003. Meglio was also among 11 priests named in a wave of 1990s lawsuits resolved as part of the Diocese’s $13.5 million settlement with 36 plaintiffs in 2002. Rhode Island’s expanded statute of limitations may still allow additional survivors to pursue civil claims.
Support for Survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse
If you or someone you love was sexually abused by Father Richard Meglio, 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 Meglio or another religious leader, we encourage you to contact us today to learn about your legal options.
Every consultation is free and completely confidential.
