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Read: Maryland Attorney General's grand jury sex abuse report into Archdiocese of Baltimore

Standing outside of the Maryland Attorney General's office, Archdiocese of Baltimore sex abuse survivor Teresa Lancaster, said she was hoping for much more from the grand jury report.

She pointed to lines upon lines blacked out on a packet of pages extracted from a full report given to survivors during a Wednesday morning meeting.

“What kind of investigative report is this, if you’re going to be able to black out everything?," she queried.

Lancaster said she wants to see the names of the people who allowed the abuse to go on for years exposed in the report, and is going to work to try to make that happen.

“We are not going to go away,” she said. “We’re not finished. We’re going to motion to get these names un-redacted.”

The long-anticipated 456-page grand jury report detailingallegations of sexual abuse and cover-up in the Archdiocese of Baltimore was released today. The Maryland Office of the Attorney General launched the investigation in 2019 and subpoenaed hundreds of thousands of documents; interviewed former priests, church employees, witnesses and survivors of sexual abuse; and compiled the document, which is called “Clergy Abuse in Maryland.”

Listen to WYPR's Scott Maucione explain the case.

The report details “pervasive sexual abuse” among the priesthood and “complicit silence” from the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The investigation identified 158 priests — many of whom were previously known — who are accused of “sexual abuse” and “physical torture” of more than 600 people in the last 80 years.

"More than 300 people contacted our office," said Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown about a hotline launched by his predecessor Brian Frosh during a press conference on April 5. "Our investigators reached out and interviewed hundreds of survivors that led to more survivors and witnesses. Many who came forward had told their story before and for some, it was the first time."

It's too late for many abusers to be criminally charged, he said.

"Unfortunately most of the abusers and those who concealed their wrongdoing are dead and no longer subject to prosecution," Brown said.

Read the full report here:

The report is organized by individuals credibly accused of sex abuse and each narrative describes the time frame, the parishes where the abusers worked and explicit details of experiences of survivors.

"Abusers preyed upon the children most devoted to the church: the altar servers and choir members, those who participated in church youth organizations and the Scout troops, and especially those who worked in the rectories answering telephones in the evening and on the weekends," according to the report. "They groomed the victims with presents and special attention. They told their victims the abuse was “God’s will” and that no one would doubt the word of a priest. Some threatened that the victim or victim’s family would go to hell if they told anyone."

Some sections of the report are redacted but most of the details are not.

"We redacted names when the names were brought to our attention through information we obtained through the grand jury process," Brown, the Attorney General said. "A grand jury is secret so we cannot disclose that without a court order. Because they are redacted today doesn't mean they will always be redacted."

The court will offer individuals in the redacted sections an opportunity to object and the Maryland Attorney General's office will weigh in about each person whose identity has not yet been disclosed.

Listen to WYPR's On the Record program about the report.

Listen to WYPR's Midday program about the report.

Watch press conference remarks here:

Maryland Office of the Attorney General report about sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore Catholic church and schools.

The move comes after Baltimore Circuit Judge Robert K. Taylor Jr. on Tuesday issued an order authorizing the public disclosure of the document “as the Office of the Attorney General shall see fit.”

Ahead of the release of the report, Archbishop William Lori posted a letter and video online that called on Catholics to join him in praying for survivors of sexual abuse.

The Archdiocese claims that none of the 10 individuals whose names are redacted in the report are "in ministry today in the archdiocese,"according to their website.

Meanwhile, there are 39 people who are identified as abusers in the attorney general report who do not appear on the Archdiocese's website.

"None of the 39 people named is serving in ministry in the Archdiocese, and none has been for many years. At least 33 of the 39 are deceased. The overwhelming majority of the individuals are not included for one of three reasons: 1) the alleged perpetrator is neither a priest nor religious brother (the Archdiocese’s list does not include lay people, religious sisters or deacons); 2) the alleged perpetrator never had an assignment in ministry in the Archdiocese; or 3) the alleged perpetrator was first accused of abuse after death and is the subject of only a single, uncorroborated allegation,"according to its website.

The Archdiocese claims that neither any clergy members or lay people who have been credibly accused of abuse are still employed with the Archdiocese of Baltimore, according to its website.

The grand jury investigation resulted in one indictment: Neil Adleberg, 74, of Randallstown, the former head wrestling coach at Mount Saint Joseph High School, is charged in Baltimore County Circuit Court with sexual abuse of a minor and related offenses. He’s set to stand trial on June 20, according to online court records.

Law enforcement is not seeking additional criminal charges, according to court documents.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are on the verge of passing the Child Victims Act of 2023, which would greatly expand the ability of survivors of sexual abuse to file lawsuits against institutions.

Parents were picking up their children outside St. Mark's Parish Catholic Church in Catonsville, one community where there were 11 individuals credibly accused of sexual abuse with minors under the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

For Maria Smith, who grew up Catholic, said that the statute of limitation should be lifted.

"Every victim should have time to be made whole the best they can, and I think that legislation would be very, very powerful to get that accomplished," Smith told WYPR on April 5.

Still, Smith defended the Catholic Church for being open now and its desire to move forward.

"They want to be transparent about this whole abuse, legacy basically, and so that we can move past it and put it behind us," she said. " We're not just trying to brush things under the carpet anymore. We're addressing it, and we're fixing it and we're moving forward."

The report brings up memories for some and courage for others.

Kit Bateman never told anyone about the abuse he suffered as a teenager during his time at Calvert Hall College High School in Baltimore. At 14 years-old, he was abused by a priest during confession.

Other than the Attorney General, he never told anyone, until Wednesday.

"My brother was a teacher there at the school. He was like, 'why didn’t you tell me?' And I was like, 'Who would have believed me anyway? They’re God. He was our religion teacher and the school priest," said Bateman.

He was the class president and for years felt guilt that he didn’t speak up to protect other classmates. But that’s why he’s come forward now.

"There’s little kids today that are those kids that maybe needed someone to look out for them and step up and say, 'This happened to me.'"

In response to the report release, Baltimore County Police Department encouraged victims to contact them.

"Detectives with the Baltimore County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit are currently reviewing the report the Maryland Office of the Attorney General released today," according to a statement. "All survivors of unreported abuse that occurred in Baltimore County are encouraged to contact the Baltimore County Police Department regardless of when it happened. A victim advocate is available to provide information, support and referrals to survivors and their families."

A redacted portion of the report.
Maryland Attorney General
A redacted portion of the report.

The story continues at the Baltimore Banner: Baltimore Catholic church covered up ‘horrific and repeated abuse’ at children’s expense, report says

Check out The Baltimore Banner's live blog with reactions from abuse survivors.

WYPR and The Baltimore Banner have a joint operating agreement that allows the nonprofit organizations to work collaboratively to deliver quality journalism across the region. To learn more about the partnership, click here.

This is a developing news story and will be updated.

Digital news editor and producer Kristen Mosbrucker contributed to this story.

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