Kelly - whose heavy drinking, overt racism and “bad habit of pawing women” came up during a 1971 meeting of his colleagues and superiors - was hospitalized for psychiatric treatment and allowed to continue ministering, according to the report. He requested to leave the church in 1970 and get married.įurther allegations against Julian came to light in 2002, but he was never listed on the archdiocese's list. Julian received psychiatric treatment and was assigned to desk work “where he would not be exposed to temptation,” the report says. One of the church officials who reviewed the case, Father Michael Kolodziej, was himself later accused of abuse and included on the list.Īllegations in another case surfaced in 1968 and Father Albert Julian admitted to having an “almost uncontrollable sexual attraction toward young people of the opposite sex” and said he “had yielded to temptation from time to time,” according to the report, which cites a 1970 letter from the archdiocese to Vatican authorities. The diocese ultimately engaged in mediation and reached a settlement, the report says - but Figlewski was never listed as a credibly accused priest. In some cases, church officials agreed to financial settlements with victims - actions that suggest the allegations were considered credible, McKiernan said.įor example, one victim repeatedly contacted church officials in the late 1990s and early 2000s to report abuse he experienced in the 1930s at the hands of Father Alphonsus Figlewski, who would take altar boys on Baltimore’s streetcars and touch them inappropriately, according to the report. Sometimes they were asked to leave the ministry but often avoided serious consequences. Several of the clergy members not on the church’s list admitted to abusing children and teens, according to the report. “Now, in Baltimore, we have confirmation that’s what was happening.” “But there’s always the concern that even credibly accused people have been left off these lists,” said Terence McKiernan, president of, which tracks clergy abuse nationwide. While Baltimore was among the first, other dioceses across the country have since published similar lists. But years later, a Pennsylvania grand jury accused Keeler himself of covering up abuse allegations in the 1980s. When Cardinal William Keeler released the Baltimore list in 2002, his decision earned the diocese a reputation for transparency at a time when the nationwide scope of wrongdoing remained largely unexposed. The report recommended expanding the list to include non-priests, which officials are also reviewing. Kendzierski said the archdiocese is reviewing its list “in light of the Attorney General’s report” and expects to add more names soon. Archdiocese spokesperson Christian Kendzierski said most didn’t make the list because they are laypeople, including deacons and teachers they were never assigned to ministry in the Archdiocese of Baltimore or they were first accused posthumously and received only a single, uncorroborated allegation. The archdiocese acknowledged the discrepancies Thursday, saying none of the 39 people are currently serving in ministry in the Baltimore area, and at least 33 have died. The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, said in a statement Wednesday that some omissions “might be understandable,” but called for the archbishop to “err on the side of being more transparent” for the sake of victims and others. The report also names 39 people who aren’t included on the archdiocese’s list, which officials first published in 2002 and have continued to update since. Maryland Probe Finds Over 600 Victims of Abuse by Catholic Priests More than 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the archdiocese sexually abused over 600 children and often escaped accountability, the investigation found. The report reveals the scope of over eight decades of abuse and coverup within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Similar proposals failed in recent years, but the attorney general’s investigation brought renewed attention to the issue this legislative session. They also celebrated a major step toward potential legal recourse: state legislation passed Wednesday that would eliminate the existing statute of limitations on civil litigation against institutions like the archdiocese in cases of child sexual abuse. While the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore has long touted its transparency in publishing the names of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse, a report released this week by the Maryland attorney general’s office raises questions about the integrity of the church's list.įollowing the report’s long-awaited release Wednesday, victims and advocates called on the Baltimore archbishop to address discrepancies - their latest demand for transparency in a decadeslong fight to expose the church’s coverup tactics.
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