BALTIMORE (MD)
WBAL-TV, NBC-11 [Baltimore MD]
December 7, 2022
By Lisa Robinson
Survivors of Maryland clergy sex abuse accuse the Catholic Church of turning a blind eye to their pain. Now, they said time’s up.
The group of survivors claims the release of the state attorney general’s investigation is essential for their healing. They shared their demands with the media, even going so far as to call for a change in leadership of the Catholic Church. Survivors pointed the finger at Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, saying he needs to go.
“You turned away, you chose to fall silent and you chose to protect your criminals. We will not go away, sit down or shut up, and most of us think, sir, that you need to resign,” said Gemma Hoskins, an advocate.
Hoskins is a former student at Archbishop Keough High School, where sexual abuse was rampant. She took part in the Netflix documentary “The Keepers,” which focused on the killing of Sister Cathy Cesnick in 1969 and sex abuse at the school. Lawyers for survivors of sexual abuse in the church want the AG’s report to be made public.
“Survivors of these crimes, including Donna and others, cooperated with the AG and recounted the horrors of their past as the release of the 456-page investigation now seek transparency. They want the report released for themselves and all survivors,” attorney Robert Jenner said.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore is helping pay legal fees for a group trying to keep their names, which are in the report, from being made public. For now, it will remain sealed, the judge noting much of the material came from a grand jury.
The archdiocese said it does not object to the release of a report that, it said, accurately details the heinous crime and sin of child sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the clergy.
“We’ll be filing a motion to intervene so that we will become parties to proceedings and then once granted standing in the proceedings we are going to seek to have the report released,” attorney Barbara Hart said.
A judge’s order originally sealed the report and the same judge has to decide if it’s released.