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Frosh has been pushing to release his office’s 463-page report, which identifies 158 priests who were either “credibly accused” of sexual abuse or who were accused and never publicly identified by the Archdiocese, including the identities of more than 600 victims.
Though the Archdiocese said that it will not oppose the release of the report, a judge in Baltimore City ruled to seal arguments over the release of the report, keeping the information behind closed doors.
The decision came after news leaked that the Archdiocese has been paying legal fees for a group looking to block the report, which can still be released, though a decision on that has not been made.
Officials from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) called the ruling “a setback for efforts toward transparency and justice for clergy abuse survivors in Maryland,” adding that “while (they) lament the decision, (they) hope that this does not signal the end of the road for the Maryland report and that it will still be publicly released soon."
"We lost this skirmish but the battle to release the report goes on,” said David Lorenz, leader of SNAP Maryland. “The problem is that we now don't have insight into what objections are being made and therefore can't make counterarguments.”
By sealing the proceedings, the public will no longer be able to know who is involved in arguing for or against the report in court, despite Archbishop William William Lori of the Archdiocese of Baltimore pledging transparency and not to fight the release of the scathing report.
Lorenz and SNAP cited the Archdiocese paying the legal fees for the group that petitioned to seal the report as something questionable that should be looked at further, adding that “despite the setback, concerns over public safety, and the rights of survivors will win out and the report will be published.”
"In our view, the Church funded opposition to this report is yet another example of how Catholic officials claim to want to do right by survivors and protect children, but do the opposite through their actions,” SNAP leaders stated. “It is unconscionable for Archbishop Lori to lie so blatantly and so easily to the public.
“We should not be surprised at just how far Archbishop Lori will go to protect his reputation and his Archdiocesan coffers.”
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