The Catholic Church has been embroiled in a series of scandals over the past few years, with allegations of sexual abuse and cover-ups by high-ranking officials. The latest development in this ongoing saga is the announcement that abuse victims of the Baltimore Archdiocese are planning to file lawsuits against the church.
According to civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the victims, the lawsuits will be filed under a new Maryland law that allows victims of child sexual abuse to sue their abusers and any institutions that enabled the abuse. The law, which went into effect on October 1, 2019, has a two-year window for victims to file lawsuits that were previously barred by the statute of limitations.
Crump stated that he has been contacted by several victims who were abused by priests in the Baltimore Archdiocese, which covers Baltimore City and nine surrounding counties. He said that the victims are seeking justice and accountability for the harm that was done to them.
The Baltimore Archdiocese has a long history of sexual abuse allegations, with dozens of priests accused of abusing children over the years. In 2002, the archdiocese reached a settlement with 182 victims who had been abused by priests, paying out $12.7 million in compensation.
However, many victims have continued to come forward in the years since, alleging that the church covered up their abuse and protected the abusers. In 2019, a report by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office found that the archdiocese had failed to report credible allegations of child sexual abuse to law enforcement and had not conducted adequate background checks on priests.
The new law in Maryland is part of a growing trend across the United States to hold institutions accountable for enabling child sexual abuse. Similar laws have been passed in New York, New Jersey, and California, among other states.
Advocates for abuse victims say that these laws are necessary to ensure that victims have a chance to seek justice and hold abusers and institutions accountable. They argue that the statute of limitations for these crimes should be extended or eliminated altogether, as victims often take years or even decades to come forward.
The Catholic Church has faced criticism for its handling of the abuse crisis, with many accusing church leaders of prioritizing the protection of priests over the safety of children. The church has implemented a number of reforms in recent years, including mandatory background checks for priests and the creation of a commission to investigate abuse allegations.
However, many victims and their advocates say that these reforms do not go far enough and that the church needs to do more to address the harm that has been done to survivors. The lawsuits being filed by abuse victims in the Baltimore Archdiocese are just the latest example of the ongoing struggle for justice and accountability in the wake of the abuse crisis.
