As followers of Christ, we can only see the Maryland Attorney General’s report, Clergy Abuse in Maryland: Report on the Investigation of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, as a heartbreaking and new reminder of a tragic and shameful time. The report details cases of child sexual abuse committed by representatives of the Church, occurring for the most part from the 1940s to the early 1990s, as well as the way the Archdiocese responded to reports of abuse.
Few of us, including me, can begin to understand the depth of pain endured by the victims of child abuse. On my first day as Archbishop of Baltimore in 2012, I met with victim-survivors to hear directly from them, just as I did in previous assignments and as I have continued to do on numerous occasions in my decade here in Baltimore. Their personal accounts of the lasting spiritual, psychological and emotional harm have driven my efforts, and those of my colleagues, to build on the profound culture change in the Archdiocese over the last generation. Our efforts are centered on ensuring transparency and accountability—and remaining ever-vigilant in the ongoing work of protecting children and young people, and promoting healing among victim-survivors. (read more)
