Saying “the need for disclosure outweighs the need for secrecy,” a Baltimore judge has ordered the release of a redacted version of the grand jury investigation into a history of child sexual abuse within the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Circuit Judge Robert Taylor Jr.’s order, signed Friday, said he will hear arguments on whether to release the entire report at a later date.
The report could be released as soon as next month, but the judge must first approve an attorney general’s list of those individuals affected by its public release, and those individuals must be notified. They include priests accused of abuse, and those who hid abuse, enabled it or assisted in a cover up. The list must be presented to the judge on or before March 13.
“Keeping this report from the public is an injustice,” Taylor wrote. “The only form of justice that may now be available is a public reckoning — a disclosure of the facts as found by the Office of Attorney General and contained in this report.”
Investigators with the Maryland Attorney General’s Office completed the 456-page investigation and asked the courts in November for permission to release their findings to the public. They told the courts that they looked back 80 years and identified 158 priests within the archdiocese accused of the “sexual abuse” and “physical torture” of more than 600 victims.
The report marks the first time authorities have sought to document the extent of child sexual abuse within the Catholic church of Maryland. Investigators told the courts they found a history of “pervasive” sexual abuse by the priesthood, as well as a coverup and “complicit silence” by church leaders.
This story continues. Read the rest at The Baltimore Banner: Baltimore judge orders release of redacted investigation into Archdiocese of Baltimore sex abuse
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