A report published by Maryland Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday, April 5, revealed that more than 150 Catholic priests and clergymen associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland, USA, sexually abused over 600 children, and church officials spent decades covering up the crime. The report revealed that these incidents of sexual exploitation had been carried out over the last 80 years.
Notably, the archdiocese is the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the United States and spans much of Maryland.
According to reports, this 463-page report was prepared in November last year following a four-year investigation but was made public on Wednesday, April 5, after getting the permission of the court.
The report identified Catholic priests who had been involved in sexual abuse since the 1940s. The investigation into the matter was launched in 2019 when Brian Frosh was Attorney General. The damning report was prepared after talking to hundreds of victims and witnesses and included a review of over 100,000 pages of documents dating back to the 1940s. One deacon in the report even admitted to having molested over 100 children.
The Maryland Attorney General’s Office said it had identified 156 abusers, including priests, deacons, instructors, and seminarians, who “engaged in horrific and repeated abuse,” emphasising that the perpetrators frequently preyed on the trust of parents or communities.
“The staggering pervasiveness of the abuse itself underscores the culpability of the Church hierarchy,” the report said. “The sheer number of abusers and victims, the depravity of the abusers’ conduct, and the frequency with which known abusers were given the opportunity to continue preying upon children is astonishing. Over 600 children are known to have been abused by the 156 people included in this Report, but the number is likely far higher,” the Attorney General’s report said.
The report stated that the majority of the sexually assaulted children belonged to low-income families and were members of the church. They were threatened with dire consequences if they opened up about their ordeal with anyone.
It also stated that the archdiocese attempted to cover up the 80-year-long sexual abuse for decades and failed to safeguard victims when claims of abuse appeared. For example, after learning in 1987 that a clergyman had sexually abused a 14-year-old girl and admitting to being “aroused by some young girls,” the diocese informed the victim that he would be given therapy and reassigned away from children. The bishop took no further action until new victims came forward in 1994.
According to the study, nine other girls had been assaulted by that point, and there was evidence of further victims who opted not to report their cases.
It further added that the number of victims was “likely far higher” than the reported figure of over 600 children while condemning the Church’s refusal to acknowledge allegations of child sexual abuse and shuffling known offenders to other locations.
“The duration and scope of the abuse perpetrated by Catholic clergy was only possible because of the complicity of those charged with leading the Church and protecting its faithful,” the study said.
Responding to the report, Baltimore Archbishop William Lori apologised, stating that the study “details a reprehensible time in the history of this Archdiocese, a time that will not be covered up, ignored or forgotten.”
