Hundreds of Sexual Abuse Incidents Linked to Baltimore Archdiocese, Maryland AG Investigation Reveals

An investigation into Maryland priest sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore has uncovered information about hundreds of credible incidents dating back decades, and state officials are seeking Court permission to release the findings to the public.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh issued a press release (PDF) on November 17, announcing that his office wants to release a report into the investigation of child sexual abuse in the Baltimore Archdiocese.

The attorney general’s office filed a motion (PDF) that same day with the Circuit Court for Baltimore City for permission to disclose documents provided by the church in response to a grand jury subpoena.

Baltimore Archdiocese Sexual Abuse Problems

The 463-page report comes following the launch of a 2019 criminal investigation into activities at the Baltimore Archdiocese. Frosh indicates more than 300 people contacted his office, resulting in interviews with hundreds of victims and witnesses.

“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,” the motion states. “The Archdiocese of Baltimore was no exception.”

The report was generated, in part, through an investigation of hundreds of thousands of documents dating back to the 1940s, which were turned over to a Grand Jury as part of the investigation. The court, however, must approve release of the report before it can be shown to the public.

Earlier this year the Archdiocese of Baltimore suspended Reverend Samuel Lupico from his duties and the ministry, following allegations he sexually abused a minor in the 1970s. Lupicio has denied the claims.

Widespread Child Sex Abuse In the Catholic Church and Boy Scouts

The findings of the report mirror many of the clergy abuse problems throughout the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts of America, who have faced tens of thousands of lawsuits as a result. The Boy Scouts, which similarly maintained a list of sexual predators, known as the “perversion files” was ultimately driven into bankruptcy by the allegations, and is still trying to negotiate a settlement which would move it out of bankruptcy.

Facing clear signs of massive liability, Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy in 2020, to manage and resolve the mounting litigation, which has become the largest sex abuse case involving a single national organization in U.S. history.

In September, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Silverstein, of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, approved plans to create a $2.46 billion victim’s fund negotiated by abuse survivors, the Boy Scouts, insurers and some of the organization’s main backers.