BALTIMORE — A long awaited 456 page investigative report was released Wednesday into sexual abuse within the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
The Maryland Attorney General's Office names 146 people, including priests and other clergy members, who were either accused of sexual abuse or helped cover it up.
"Archdiocese personnel engaged in horrific and repeated abuse of the most vulnerable children in their communities while Archdiocese leadership looked the other way," the report states. "Time and again, members of the Church’s hierarchy resolutely refused to acknowledge allegations of child sexual abuse for as long as possible."
Allegations span over eight decades and include over 600 victims.
"They groomed the victims with presents and special attention," the report states. "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."
Multiple parishes are noted in the report for employing several alleged abusers.
For example, eleven had lived and worked at St. Mark Parish in Catonsville between 1964 and 2004.
A major focus of the report was how abuse continued even after being reported.
Investigators highlighted three priests who habitually re-offended.
In 1964 the report notes how Laurence Brett admitted to sexually abusing a boy at the Bridgeport Diocese in Connecticut.
He was sent to New Mexico for “treatment” where the abuse continued. Brett was ultimately transferred to the Calvert Hall boys school in Maryland, where he abused 20 more boys.
Another priest, Walter Emala, was banished from the Diocese of Memphis in 1968 for multiple reports of child abuse, only to end up at the Archdiocese of Baltimore to abuse at least six more victims.
Another priest, Joseph Maskell, was moved from two parishes during the 1960s over troubling behavior with children.
Maskell reportedly had suspicious sexual fantasies and fascination about things including the boy scouts.
He eventually became Chaplain at the all-girls Archbishop Keough High School, where he's accused of abusing 39 victims.
Maskell was a subject in the Netflix documentary "The Keepers," which brought worldwide attention to the sexual abuse of children by priests in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, specifically at Keough.
The report also delves into the trust families had for these priests and how it was breached over time.
In one case, a newly divorced mother turned to Jerome Toohey to counsel her son through the process. Toohey instead took advantage of the boy by sexually abusing him over the next few years.
John Wielebski was supposed to help children who'd previously been victimized, yet he continued to traumatize them by inflicting further abuse.
Then there's Robert Hopkins who for five-years preyed on an altar boy volunteering for mass.
The victim's trusting parents were convinced to let their son sleep overnight at the rectory, to find out later he'd been raped repeatedly.
A lot of the horrific abuse was allowed because of the Archdiocese's alleged failure to adequately investigate complaints.
They would often take matters into their own hands by subjecting offenders to rehab or treatment as opposed to legal consequences.
The report cites several such instances.
In 1968, Cardinal Shehan was contacted by a distraught father who accused parish priest Albert Julian of sexually abusing his daughter.
Not only did Julian admit to the abuse, but he confessed to an “uncontrollable” attraction to young girls and experiencing temptation.
Rather than immediately reporting to law enforcement, the Archdiocese got Julian psychiatric treatment and reassigned him to “desk work and part-time parish work of a kind where he would not be exposed to temptation.”
Decades later, in 2002, a woman came forward about Julian abusing her in the 1960s, for which a police report was filed.
Around 1987 Brother Thomas Rochacewicz was accused of abusing a 14-year-old girl.
Rochacewicz claimed to be “aroused by some young girls” for which the church again sought therapy, vowing to keep him away from children without making authorities aware.
Their hand was forced seven-years later when nine women accused Rochacewicz of abuse at St. Michael Church in Baltimore and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ellicott City, during the 1970s and 1980s when they were between 6 and 15 years old.
Another example is Father Robert Newman, who admitted to sexually abusing 12 boys between the ages of 9 and 15 over a 15-year period.
Newman resigned from his parish but the church claimed it was “for reasons of health” without disclosing any abuse.
Although the report credits the Archdiocese for reporting Newman to police, there's no indication they shared the entire scope of Newman's admitted behavior.
In lieu of prosecution Newman was provided "treatment", after which he returned to the Archdiocese in Connecticut for 12-years.
The report places blame on five high ranking leaders within the Archdiocese, whose names are redacted.
Investigators back this up by mentioning how the illegal actions of some were covered up including Father Thomas J. Bauernfeind.
When a survivor came forward in 1987 with allegations of abuse a decade earlier, an unnamed church leader documented the account without involving law enforcement, while allowing Bauernfeind to retain his pastoral assignment.
John Banko, who worked at St. Joseph parish in Cockeysville during the early 1970s, is another example of the Archdiocese withholding information and delaying investigations.
In 1992 Banko was implicated in a file which even Archbishop Keeler was made aware.
The victim linked to that file recalled 20-years earlier being taken to a room at St. Mary’s Seminary, allegedly by Banko, where he was made to get drunk which led to inappropriate touching.
It wasn't until 2000, in the wake of a New Jersey criminal investigation, that Banko was removed from ministry. He was later convicted for child abuse that arose after the Baltimore allegations were made.
A similar situation happened in 1988 when Baltimore County Police were called about a prior incident involving Father Marion Helowicz, who'd been assigned to St. Stephen’s Church.
Father Thomas Smith and two other officials indicated to detectives that Helowicz admitted the abuse.
Still they allowed Helowicz to return to the parish and resume ministry.
That backfired a week later when word got around about a second victim, at which time Helowicz was suspended and removed.
The Attorney General's Office learned during the process that one victim “was contacted a number of times by unidentified persons from the Archdiocese who tried to obtain his silence with assurances that Reverend Helowicz was in treatment.”
Despite their efforts, Helowicz was indicted in October 1988 and pleaded guilty.
Finally, the Attorney General's report sheds light on closed door negotiations church leadership would have with judges and the lengths they would go to maintain secrecy.
This happened in 1958 when Father Gerald Tragesser was prosecuted for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl.
Archbishop Keough labeled the victim's parents as “non-Catholic” for “violently pressing charges and demanding a public trial.”
He went on to say the case was resolved privately with the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County at the time.
When the victim’s mother tried exposing the story through the media, Keough held "extremely careful negotiations” and the “happy influence" of a newspaper reporter to prevent its public release.
Tragesser was eventually reassigned to the Diocese of Salt Lake City for what was described as “girl trouble." He remained a priest for another 17 years.
A majority of names mentioned in the Attorney General's report came to light in 2002 when the Archdiocese of Baltimore published a list of “credibly accused” priests.
The list is still maintained and currently has 152 names. This newest report however reveals 30 more names who do not appear on the Archdiocese list.
Intense litigation preceded the release of the Attorney General report.
Ongoing grand jury proceedings prevented it from being made public earlier, but that's since wrapped up resulting in one indictment.
In February Baltimore Circuit Court judge Robert Taylor Jr. approved the report's release, on condition that 97 names be redacted, including some of those who are still alive.
Despite the report's findings, judge Taylor previously said no more charges are expected to come from the investigation.
The Attorney General report presents a listed format of each person accused, summarizing their alleged offenses.
Archbishop William E. Lori issued a video and statement in response to the report expressing apologies and the church's plan moving forward.
