The report made extensive use of records provided by the archdiocese as well as information gathered from a tipline, interviews with alleged victims, and public records.
Brown said the report includes information about “every current or former Catholic clergy member, seminarian, deacon, member of a Catholic religious order, or other employee of the archdiocese who has been the subject of credible allegations of child sexual abuse in Maryland known to this office,” including “persons never assigned to the Archdiocese of Baltimore.”
“The report documents a long history of widespread abuse and systemic coverup by clergy and others associated with the Church throughout the archdiocese. Young people in some parishes were preyed upon by multiple abusers over decades, and clergy used the power and authority of the ministry to exploit the trust of the children and families in their charge,” Brown wrote in a press release accompanying the report.
“The report also describes the repeated actions of those in positions of leadership to conceal and cover up the abuse, moving priests to other parishes, failing to investigate or report abuse to civilian law enforcement authorities, and providing financial support to priests in retirement.”
The report states that several parishes within the archdiocese had multiple alleged abusers. “St. Mark Parish in Catonsville had 11 child abusers living and working there from 1964 to 2004,” the report states. Four other parishes had six alleged abusers, and three parishes had five accused of abuse, according to the report.
The report, compiled by the office of former Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, claims to identify more than 600 victims. It is currently unclear whether the report will lead to any new criminal charges, though it does note that the report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a criminal indictment. Frosh retired in January.
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