Over 600 children were sexually abused in Baltimore Catholic churches, new AG report reveals, Archbi

Content advisory: This article includes graphic accounts by survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA), as well as mentioning violence and self-harm, and may be triggering for some readers. Please read with caution.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has concluded a four-year investigation of alleged sexual abuse that was so rampant that the entirety of the resulting 463-page Attorney General’s Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore is largely unbearable to read, due to the sheer volume of offenses against children in a period of secrecy that went on for several decades.

“Based on hundreds of thousands of documents and untold stories from hundreds of survivors,” Brown stated about his conclusive report, “it provides, for the first time in the history of this state, a public accounting of more than 60 years of abuse and cover-up.”

The list of abusers total 156 abusers, 146 of whom are actually named in the report.

“What was consistent throughout was the absolute authority and power these abusive priests and church leadership held over victims, their families, and their communities,” Brown added.

The abusers include Catholic priests, deacons, and teachers, and the report details the abuse they committed. Victims were as young as six years old.

The report exposes offenders including Father Louis John Affrica, who would take young teenage boys on retreats and sexually abuse them after getting them to drink and take drugs. The sexual abuses involved everything from fondling to rape. Affrica went on to become a social worker.

The report also includes sex offenders who actually were punished — an unfortunate rarity — including Father John Banko, who twice raped his 11-year old altar boy, warning him to not tell anyone, otherwise he would harm the boy’s parents. Banko was eventually sentenced to 18 years in prison, after which other victims came forward with their testimonies of sexual abuse by the priest who, as a result, was then sentenced to an additional 26 years in prison.

There are numerous examples of victims who felt that if they reported the abuse, that they would not be believed. In some instances, victims their families did report the offenses, though in the vast majority of those cases, disciplinary action by church leadership amounted to little more than a slap on a wrist for the abuser.

The crimes are not limited to Baltimore; many of the abusers spending portions of their careers in parishes elsewhere, spreading their evil to about 20 different states.

Father John Davies, the report claims, “was in charge of the altar boys and gave out written punishment for misbehavior. When the boy didn’t complete his assignment in time, Davies took him to another part of the rectory and raped him anally.” The report goes on to explain that this happened multiple times a month, and that when the boy was in high school, he attempted suicide.

Davies also spent over thirty years as a chaplain of the Boy Scouts.

Father Robert Duerr raped a seven-year old girl, the report states.

Father Frederick Duke of Shrine of the Little Flower in Baltimore admitted to sexually abusing 26 children, which he got away with because his superiors — such as Archbishop Keough  — knew of the abuses, and would send Duke away for “spiritual direction,” which never resulted in an end to the abuse.

One unnamed victim stated, “Nothing has really changed with our ‘red-caped’ crusaders. It amazes me how certain leaders will take the lead in organizing a papal visit but shy away when the task is helping abused victims.”

Father Mark Haight, after three assignments in parishes in the Albany Diocese, was confronted about his “inappropriate” behavior with children. The result? Church authorities forced him to enter counseling. As the reports states, “Haight refused and went on a leave of absence but taught children during that time.”

The Church’s utter refusal to report such crimes to authorities is as horrendous and evil as the crimes themselves. 

One of the Maryland churches, St. Mark Parish in Catonsville, housed 11 different child abusers.

AG Brown stated about the abuses, “It’s a systemic failure of the Archdiocese to protect the most vulnerable — the children it was charged to keep safe. Time and again, the Archdiocese chose to safeguard the institution and avoid scandal instead of protecting the children in its care.”

The present Baltimore Archbishop, William E. Lori, responded to the report in a lengthy statement, saying, “The detailed accounts of the abuse are shocking and soul searching. It is difficult for most to imagine that such evil acts could have actually occurred. For victim-survivors everywhere, they know the hard truth: These evil acts did occur.”

He later adds that there is a need for healing and a need for change, but notes it’s important to not ignore the sins of the past simply because they are in the past. “This Church of today is not the Church of yesterday but never would I ever say we’re done with this. No, I was not here when these things happened but I am the current pastor and there are people suffering now from what happened.”

Unfortunately, since the cases cover over six decades of abuse, only one indictment is expected. This is due to many of the offenders having already passed away.

However, there is a greater reason for the report. There are 15 states in the U.S. that have no statute of limitations for sexual abuse claims and 24 states that have exceptions, which includes previous claims that are expired under the statute of limitations to now be revived.

Maryland is not one of those states but on the heels of this 4-year investigation being concluded and widely discussed, the state senate passed a bill two weeks ago that will repeal the statute of limitations on child abuse. For it to become law, it now only requires the signature of the Maryland Governor Wes Moore, which is likely to happen soon since he has already previously expressed support of the bill.

Additionally, the report will likely become a major catalyst for many other states to lift their statute of limitations.  

If you or a loved one are a survivor of CSA, support is available through Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). To report CSA, Stop It Now has resources here. For support and resources outside the United States, please contact appropriate local authorities and support organizations, and find more information through ECPAT, an international anti-child abuse NGO, here.

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