Maryland probe finds 158 abusive priests, over 600 victims

TL;DR

(AP) — An investigation by Maryland’s attorney general identified 158 Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Baltimore who have been accused of sexually and physically abusing more than 600 victims over the past 80 years, according to court records filed Thursday.“The Archdiocese of Baltimore was no exception.”The report, titled “Clergy Abuse in Maryland,” identifies 115 priests who were prosecuted for sex abuse and/or identified publicly by the archdiocese as having been “credibly accused” of sexual abuse.Vatican urges German Catholic Church to put brakes on reformMissouri summer camp operators sued over abuse settlementWorld Cup fans ready to celebrate despite stadium beer banQatar bans sale of beer at World Cup stadiums in about-face“The Report summarizes the sexual abuse and physical torture perpetrated by all 158 priests and the Archdiocese’s response to that abuse,” the court filing said.Sadly, it is no different than any diocese or secular report in the country.”While the court filing noted that more than 600 victims were identified, it also said “there are almost certainly hundreds more, as the Department of Justice’s Annual Crime Victimization Report has demonstrated that most incidents of sexual assault go unreported.”Both boys and girls were abused, according to the court filing, with ages ranging from preschool through young adulthood.“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.”In the court filing, Frosh argues that “publicly airing the transgressions of the Church is critical to holding people and institutions accountable and improving the way sexual abuse allegations are handled going forward.”“More importantly, it is vital to protecting children an the entire community,” the filing said."

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