After four years of investigation, the Maryland attorney general’s office released a report Wednesday into alleged child abuse and sexual misconduct in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
According to the report, more than 300 people contacted the Maryland attorney’s office to report misconduct and sexual abuse by 156 priests and Catholic church figures between 1940 and 2002. The number of children abused would be more than 600.
“What we found was an irrefutable story of a great deal of serious and persistent abuse that was committed by priests and other church personnel and that was covered up,” revealed Anthony G. Brown.
A Baltimore judge on Tuesday authorized the release of the report after then-Attorney General Brian Frosh requested its release in November.
Among the cases detailed is that of Father Bruce Ball who served at the School of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Baltimore, where he caressed students during physical exams in his gym class while the principal observed and also asked minors touch their genitals.
A judge has granted the Maryland attorney general permission to release a redacted version of an investigative report detailing sexual abuse allegations against more than 150 priests in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
“What is consistent in all of the survivors’ stories was the absolute authority that the abusers and the church exercised over the victims, their families and their community,” added prosecutor Brown.
According to the report, some parishes had more than one sexual offender at the same time and indicates that they committed abuse of the most vulnerable children. The report indicates that the priest Jerome Toohey would have sexually abused a child for three years, while Robert Hopkins would have raped an altar boy for five years.
“Our goal is to reveal as much as possible about this investigation, but the court is analyzing our arguments and we continue to work with them to reveal more of the report, because about 10 names of attackers have not been published,” he said.
The report emphasizes that in the face of numerous complaints, the church allegedly refused to acknowledge the abuses and used different tactics to cover them up.
“One person has been charged as a result of this investigation. Unfortunately, in the criminal system there are limitations as to what we can do when a lot of time has passed since these crimes,” Brown highlighted.
After meeting with the attorney general on Wednesday, some survivors said in a statement that the report gives a better perspective on the historical abuse suffered within the Catholic Church.
They asked the Archdiocese of Baltimore for further explanation, saying these findings should prompt a stronger response from the church, and urged survivors still silent to speak up.
The report recommends modifying the statute of limitations for civil actions related to child sexual abuse where needed and shed more light on cases of abuse committed by civilian Catholic Church personnel.