India, March 8 -- A sweeping investigation released by the Rhode Island Attorney General has exposed decades of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in the state, identifying at least 75 clergy members accused of abusing more than 300 children since 1950 till 2011.

After a multiyear investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, Attorney General Peter Neronha issued the findings on Wednesday.

Neronha outlined the longstanding pattern in which church officials prioritized institutional reputation over the protection of children.

According to Neronha, it remains difficult to fully understand the extent of the clergy abuse issue in Rhode Island, the smallest state in the union with the biggest Catholic population ...