A group of abuse victims joined a group of 20 lawmakers in calling for Rhode Island's legislative leaders to extend the time limit for filing child abuse lawsuits.
The news conference in Providence on Monday demanded a vote on legislation that would extend the time limit for filing suits to 35 years from seven years. The demonstrators also called on Attorney General Peter Kilmartin to open a grand jury investigation of the Catholic Church's Providence Diocese.
The Rhode Island Catholic Conference said in a statement it would only support expanding the statute of limitations as long as the legislation doesn't apply retroactively.
The news conference was sparked by a Pennsylvania grand jury report concluding state church leaders covered up abuse allegations against hundreds of priests for decades.
