Maryland Report Reveals 'Staggering' Church Sex Abuse

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Facts

• Maryland Attorney General (AG) Anthony Brown’s office released a 450-page report Wednesday identifying 158 priests accused of abusing over 600 victims since the 1940s. The report indicated the number of victims is likely higher as it largely examined cases before 2002.¹
• The highly-anticipated report into the nation’s oldest diocese says the abuse spanned much of Maryland, and some parishes, schools, and congregations had multiple abusers at the same time, including St. Mark Parish in Catonsville which housed 11 abusers from 1964 to 2004.²
• It also provides graphic descriptions of sexual and physical abuse, including stories of abusers providing alcohol and drugs to victims and forcing them to perform sexual acts. The abusers held various roles in the Church, and 43 priests were named.³
• The AG’s Office started investigating abuse allegations in 2018, with a Baltimore judge ordering a redacted report be released in February. The report anonymized 60 individuals by eliminating specific references and redacted the names of 37 others.⁴
• AG Brown called the release 'a day of reckoning' and 'accounting' and said more than 300 people contacted his office since 2018. Attorneys and investigators reviewed hundreds of thousands of documents and interviewed hundreds of witnesses as part of the investigation.⁵
• Many victims claim to still feel traumatized by their experiences and could be able to sue the archdiocese. Maryland lawmakers passed a bill ending the statute of limitations on abuse-related civil suits, which currently prevents victims from suing abusers after turning 38.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Associated Press, ³CNN, ⁴CBS, ⁵Wbal and ⁶BBC News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Baltimore sun. Words cannot adequately describe the abhorrent, despicable, and repeated abuses committed by the Baltimore Catholic Archdiocese, and it has taken far too long to hold its members accountable. Hundreds of innocent victims were abused in the most unimaginable ways by faith leaders, and the institution covered up these acts for decades. We can never allow this to happen in the future and everyone involved in this scandal must be held accountable.
• Narrative B, as provided by Archdiocese of baltimore. The Baltimore Archdiocese is profoundly remorseful about the actions depicted in the Attorney General's report, and it prays for the healing of all survivors. The evil acts committed by past Church members are not representative of the Church today, and there have been many turning points over the past few decades to remove all abusers. The Archdiocese will work tirelessly to help survivors and create a healing environment.