Maryland Attorney General’s Office Uncovers Coverup of Sexual Abuse of 600+ Children by Catholic Church Officials in Baltimore

The Maryland Attorney General’s office released a report on Wednesday alleging that Catholic Church officials in Baltimore had engaged in a coverup of sexual abuse of at least 600 children over the course of six decades.

The investigation, which began in 2018, found that 156 Catholic clergy members and others had abused the children, some of whom were “preyed upon by multiple abusers over decades.” The report also noted that the number of victims is likely far higher than the 600 known cases.

Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement that the findings illustrated a “depraved, systemic failure of the Archdiocese to protect the most vulnerable – the children it was charged to keep safe.” He added that members of the Church’s hierarchy had “resolutely refused to acknowledge allegations of child sexual abuse for as long as possible.”

The report comes after four years of investigation and has received “hundreds of thousands of documents” from the Archdiocese. Brown said that the report “reveals the truth of what happened in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the lengths to which Church officials went to cover it up.”

The report has been met with shock and outrage from the public, and the Archdiocese has promised to take steps to ensure that such abuse never happens again. Brown said that the report is a reminder that “we must remain vigilant in protecting our children from those who would do them harm.”