156 priests sexually abused more than 600 people in 80 years

The Office of the Attorney General has released its report on the 2019 investigation into child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

In the 456-page report, titled “Clergy Abuse in Maryland,” 156 priests, many of whom were already known, were accused of sexually harassing and physically torturing more than 600 people over the past 80 years.

The report details “widespread sexual abuse” among priests and the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s “silent complicity” against them.

“Today is definitely a day of reckoning in Maryland,” the state’s attorney general, Anthony Brown, said at a news conference for the release of the report. he said.

Brown noted that since the start of the investigation, more than 300 people have contacted them, hundreds of people have been interviewed for the report and hundreds of thousands of documents dating back to the 1940s have been examined.

Noting that many of the abusive priests and church leaders named in the report are not alive, Brown said: “While it is too late for criminal justice to be done for the surviving victims, exposing the archdiocese’s violations to the fullest extent possible will bring some responsibility and maybe even protect others. We hope it encourages him to step up.” saying.

Baltimore Archbishop William Lori said in a written statement that the report was a reminder of the great harm done to innocent children: “The detailed accounts of the abuse are shocking and heartbreaking.” he used the phrase.

Acknowledging the truth of the abuses, apologizing and pledging support for improvements in this regard, Lori noted that the archdiocese continues to change and progress within its responsibilities in this regard.

The Maryland Attorney General’s Office asked the court in February to release the report, which was prepared because most of the investigative documents were obtained through the grand jury, and the Baltimore City Court decided yesterday that parts of the report could be cut and published.