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On Thursday, Nov. 17, the AG announced that he is seeking approval from the Circuit Court of Baltimore City to release the 463-page report to the public, which reportedly identifies more than 600 victims.
Frosh’s office launched a criminal investigation into child sexual abuse by priests and other employees of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2019, which included hundreds of thousands of documents dating back to the 1940s that were produced in response to grand jury subpoenas.
The 463-page report identifies 115 priests that were prosecuted for sexual abuse and/or identified publicly by the Archdiocese as having been "credibly accused" of sexual abuse. It also includes an additional 43 priests accused of sexual abuse who were never publicly identified by the Archdiocese.
“The report summarizes the sexual abuse and physical torture perpetrated by all 158 identified priests and the Archdiocese’s response to that abuse,” the motion states.
According to prosecutors, both boys and girls were abused, with their ages ranging from preschool through young adulthood.
“Although no parish was safe, some congregations and schools were assigned multiple abusive priests, and a few had more than one sexually abusive priest at the same time,” the motion states.
One congregation was assigned 11 sexually abusive priests over the course of four decades, and the sexual abuse “was so pervasive that victims were sometimes reporting sexual abuse to priests who were perpetrators themselves.”
The investigation determined that the Archdiocese failed to report many allegations of sexual abuse, or to conduct adequate investigations into those allegations, instead "went through great lengths to keep the abuse secret.”
Investigators noted that many survivors of sexual abuse reported battling depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or anxiety as adults. Others struggle with alcohol, substance abuse, or anxiety as adults.
Two victims reported having suicidal ideations or attempting suicide as a result of the abuse. Two victims were successful in their suicide attempts.
“For decades, survivors reported sexual abuse perpetrated by Catholic priests, and for decades the Church covered up the abuse rather than holding the abusers accountable and protecting its congregations. The Archdiocese of Baltimore was no exception.”
Frosh’s motion can be found here.
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