Maryland attorney general: Baltimore Catholic diocese covered up clergy sexual abuse for decades
Jeremiah Poff
Video Embed
The attorney general of Maryland accused the Archdiocese of Baltimore of covering up child sexual abuse perpetrated by 156 current or former members of clergy against more than 600 victims during a period of six decades Wednesday.
The report, which is partially redacted, is the fruit of a four-year investigation by the Maryland Attorney General’s office and the City of Baltimore Grand Jury, which obtained hundreds of thousands of documents from the Archdiocese of Baltimore over the course of the investigation.
POPE FRANCIS LEAVES HOSPITAL AND RETURNS HOME
“This report illustrates the depraved, systemic failure of the Archdiocese to protect the most vulnerable — the children it was charged to keep safe,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said. “Based on hundreds of thousands of documents and untold stories from hundreds of survivors, it provides, for the first time in the history of this State, a public accounting of more than 60 years of abuse and cover-up.”
Brown added that “time and again, the archdiocese chose to safeguard the institution and avoid scandal instead of protecting the children in its care. This report shines a light on this overwhelming tragedy, and it was the courage of the survivors that made it possible.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The report lists 156 different diocesan clergy, members of religious orders, or employees who allegedly perpetrated the sexual abuse of children while under the employment or authority of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The vast majority of the individuals listed in the report are no longer alive.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.