More than 20 years after revelations of Catholic clergy sex abuse shocked the world, an indelible feature of the scandal — its scope over time and geography and the scale of its horrors — has not lost its capacity to astonish. Each major disclosure adds to the disturbing portrait of the violence that has been perpetrated against children and the church’s systematic coverups.

That was driven home once again by the release of a major report by the Maryland attorney general’s office documenting the abuse of hundreds of children and young adults over nearly six decades in just one of the church’s dominions, the archdiocese of Baltimore, where nearly a half million Catholics live today. Adding judicial insult to clerical injury, the full report was withheld from the public for months on orders from a Maryland judge. A different judge finally authorized its release, with redactions.

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