There should probably be a warning to all those who choose to read the recently-released report by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office chronicling 80 years of child sexual abuse within Baltimore’s Catholic archdiocese. From the sometimes explicit descriptions of rape, torture and molestation to the cover-ups and gross negligence demonstrated by the practice of shipping out known abusers to unsuspecting schools and parishes, it is a stomach-turning read. Never mind that many of these abusers are long dead and buried — as are many of their enablers — the damage done lives on.
And yet there is also an extraordinary comfort in knowing the survivors of these crimes, who pushed hard to get this report written over the last five years, can finally have their stories told. The 456-page investigation covering the actions of 158 church officials, many of them priests, surely provides some modicum of relief to those who thought justice might never be done, their voices heard, their suffering acknowledged by the rest of us. The report alludes to 600 victims but there are likely more who have not yet chosen to speak out, perhaps feeling unwarranted shame or guilt or fear of reprisal or judgment or even lack of public interest.
Let the word go out: You are not alone. You can be heard. And, maybe, some degree of justice can be done.
That’s because the AG’s report and the courageous efforts of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and their allies successfully convinced the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation lifting the statute of limitations on child abuse victims seeking to sue those institutions (and not just the direct perpetrators) responsible for their harm. The once-controversial measure — reliably opposed annually by lobbyists for the Catholic Church — was clearly buoyed by the release of the attention-grabbing report. Perhaps just as important was the willingness of House Economics Committee Chair C.T. Wilson, a Charles County Democrat and the bill’s lead sponsor in the Maryland House of Delegates. to speak candidly of his own experiences as a victim of abuse. Thus, legislation that languished before won overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers, final approval coming within hours of the report’s release. Gov. Wes Moore’s signature on the bill is expected soon.
This is not the end of this long journey, of course. The public version of the report released Wednesday by Attorney General Anthony Brown had significant court-ordered redaction including the names of 10 alleged abusers. Other names may soon become known, particularly as litigation advances in the courts and sheds further light on alleged child sexual abuse — and surely not just that associated with one faith or public institution.
Still, what has happened in recent days seems nothing short of miraculous, particularly for the survivors. That it happened during Christianity’s Holy Week, a time of penitence and prayer leading up to Easter Sunday, even suggests some measure of divine intervention. In a recent letter to parishioners, Archbishop William E. Lori offered his own apology to victims and their families. Above all else, he wrote, “I want to pause to recognize and validate that the vile and horrifying abuse that is the subject of the attorney general’s investigation represents a grave betrayal, and that it has had devastating consequences for victim-survivors.”
Faith can move mountains. But admitting to the truth can do wonders, too. Whatever the harm done to victims as young as preschoolers (the peak of the attacks apparently taking place in the 1960s and 70s), there was also damage done in the intervening years by never acknowledging this past, or admitting the role of enablers or, frankly, of properly compensating the survivors for the harm that was done to them. As we so often observe on these pages, sunshine is the best disinfectant. Today is not just about healing harms done many years ago, it’s about preventing them from happening to another generation — and hopefully even beyond the borders of the state that served as the cradle of the Catholic Church in America.
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Baltimore Sun editorial writers offer opinions and analysis on news and issues relevant to readers. They operate separately from the newsroom.
