BALTIMORE — A judge has authorized the Maryland Attorney General's Office to release a redacted version of an investigative report into the Archdiocese of Baltimore's alleged coverup of sexual abuse.
The report was previously under seal to protect grand jury proceedings.
However multiple victims and advocacy groups along with the Attorney General's Office, and Archdiocese themselves, filed motions to have the report publicly released.
The grand jury has since wrapped up, resulting in only one indictment.
According to Friday's court ruling, the report names 158 priests who have either been charged or accused of sexual abuse over the past eight-decades.
In his order judge Robert Taylor Jr. writes that the report also "names various individuals associated with the Archdiocese and various Catholic institutions who are not charged with abuse, but whose conduct could, at a minimum, raise questions about the institutional response to allegations of abuse over the past eight decades."
MORE: Survivors of clergy sex abuse want AG report against archdiocese made public
Taylor added that no more charges are expected to come from the investigation.
Prior to the report's release, judge Taylor has to first sign off on a proposed list of affected individuals named in the report.
The Attorney General's Office issued this statement following the judge's decision.
“We are pleased with the Court’s order today permitting the interim release of a redacted version of the Attorney General’s report on the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The Office will move expeditiously to comply with the court’s order and prepare a redacted copy of the Report to be released upon review and approval by the Court.”
Here is a statement from the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
"Ever-aware of the pain endured by survivors of child sexual abuse, the Archdiocese once again offers its sincere apologies to the victim-survivors who were harmed by a minister of the Church and who were harmed by those who failed to protect them and who failed to respond to them with care and compassion. As we said publicly last year, we respect the court’s decisions in this matter and will continue to cooperate with the court and the Maryland Attorney General’s office. The Archdiocese continues to pray this report brings some measure of healing of the deep wounds caused by the scourge of child sexual abuse in the life of the Church."
