SPARE CHANGE: 'Credibly accused' are the shame of our state

We saw them this week, portraits of Catholic clergy "credibly accused" of sexually abusing children, a rogues' gallery of grown men who preyed on youngsters.

The Diocese of Providence has a long history of denial, obfuscation and cover-up on this topic. So it's significant Bishop Thomas J. Tobin released the names of 50 men, most now dead.

The release invites as many questions as it provides answers. It's short on specifics, particularly how many attacks went on and what action the church took.

I think we now know the diocese here (and dioceses across the country) shifted accused priests from parish to parish, sliding them like chess pieces across the state. It amounted to a protection racket for pedophiles.

You may recognize some of the names on the list, several of whom served in Newport County. Father James Silva, for instance, assaulted one of my best friends when he as an altar boy at Jesus Saviour Church.

Maybe releasing the names provides further healing ... or none at all. I was taught to respect priests as a boy, though I never had any interest in serving on the altar.

I feel sorry for the non-deviant priests who are sometimes dragged into this cesspool simply because they wear a clerical collar. I even sort of feel sympathy for the men unable to quell their perverted impulses.

I blame the church officials who sprang them back into Catholic society despite knowing their history. This has happened across the country. (See the movie "Spotlight")

And we must never forget the victims. Most have received settlements and tried to fall back into normal life, but no amount of cash can make them whole.

It's the shame of our state, the shame of our nation.

ODDZNENDZ: R.I.P.: Dermot McDermott. A nice guy with a full name that sounded like hiccups. I met him at the late, lamented Beer Barrel.

Dermot was into Civil War re-enacting and martial arts. A bright and curious guy.

• "How They See Us" on Netflix is a dramatic look at the Central Park Five, arrested and eventually cleared in the 1989 gang rape of a jogger — cleared after serving years in prison.

It's a brutal miscarriage of justice and should make you angry.

• If you're finding the Red Sox hard to watch this season, you might want to read "Football for a Buck," the rise and fall of the United States Football league ... which ran like a Building 19 franchise.

Jeff Pearlman has packed his account with outrageous stories. And Donald Trump, blamed in part for the league's demise, is front and center.

• R.I.P.: Marilyn Donnelly. Career days at schools could be a challenge for visitors. Marilyn's students were well-prepared with good questions.

• Re: Car ads that say, "Real people, not actors." Actors aren't real people?

Jim Gillis is a Daily News columnist. Send him email at jimgillis13@gmail.com.