Archdiocese of Baltimore covered up child sexual abuse of over 600 victims, Maryland AG alleges
BALTIMORE -- The Archdiocese of Baltimore covered up decades of child sexual abuse perpetrated by Catholic priests, the Maryland Attorney General's Office alleged in a court filing Thursday.
The state's top prosecutor filed a motion seeking approval from the Circuit Court of Baltimore City to release its 463-page report on abuse in the diocese to the public.
The report allegedly identifies 158 priests and over 600 victims in the diocese since 1940.
"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," Attorney General Brian Frosh said in a statement. "The Archdiocese of Baltimore was no exception."
The Attorney General's Office said the report summarizes the sexual abuse and physical torture perpetrated by all 158 of the identified priests who allegedly carried out sexual abuse on both boys and girls ranging in age from preschool to young adulthood.
"The investigation also revealed the Archdiocese failed to report many allegations, conduct adequate investigations, remove abusers, or restrict their access to children," the motion states. "Instead it went to great lengths to keep the abuse secret. While the archdiocese reported a large number of allegations to police, especially in later years, for decades it worked to ensure that the perpetrators would not face justice."
The Archdiocese of Baltimore did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
