Abuse Survivors Speak Out at Archdiocese of Baltimore Bankruptcy Hearing

Remember, our 'Devout Catholic' President, Joe Biden is one of Lori's subjects, so we know how much His Grace cares about the Catholic Faith.

From The (Maryland) Daily Record

By Madeleine O’Neill

One by one, searing memory by searing memory, childhood sexual abuse survivors stood up in court Monday and told their stories directly to Archbishop William E. Lori, the head of the institution that ignored them for so long.

“This is a day of liberation for me,” said one of the six survivors who testified.

“I’m going to walk forward, and this is all because of this moment right here,” said the woman, who did not give her name.

The moment came as part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s ongoing bankruptcy case in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle M. Harner scheduled a special status conference designed to give survivors a chance to speak.

“Today is a listening session,” Harner said. “An opportunity for individuals to be heard.”

That opportunity was especially important because the archdiocese declared bankruptcy just days before the enactment of the Child Victims Act, a Maryland law designed to allow childhood abuse survivors to sue no matter how long ago they were harmed.

As the Catholic Church in Maryland prepared for a barrage of lawsuits, the archdiocese declared bankruptcy, halting any litigation and forcing claims into bankruptcy court. The move took away survivors’ chance to have their day in court.

The survivors who spoke Monday each identified themselves only as much as they were comfortable, so some did not give their names or gave only a first name. Others gave their full names or are well-known advocates for survivors, like Teresa F. Lancaster, a survivor who became an attorney later in life.

Lancaster’s abuse by the notorious Joseph Maskell, who has been accused of abusing dozens of victims, was documented in the Netflix series “The Keepers.” A massive investigation by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office charged that Maskell abused 39 people and that the Archdiocese of Baltimore knew about troubling allegations involving Maskell as early as 1966, well before he went on to abuse others at Archbishop Keough Catholic high school.

Lancaster said the church could have stopped Maskell sooner, and she wanted to tell Lori that in her statement.

“I wanted him to hear what happened to all of us and realize the church could have acted a lot earlier than they did,” she said after court.

The other survivors recounted horrific stories of abuse that lasted for years and sometimes involved more than one member of the clergy. They told stories of nightmares, ruined relationships, and other fallout from the abuse that continues to haunt them decades later.

“The nightmares are still alive and well in my brain,” said one survivor, Thomas Carney, recounting a dream where a pastor who abused him transforms into Satan.

“I do not want to pass from this earth without hearing ‘sorry,’ ” Carney said.

Lori listened quietly in the courtroom, hugging one survivor as she sat down after her testimony.

“I’ve said it many times and will say it to the end of my life,” Lori said after court, when asked if he said he was sorry to the victims. “I recognize that no apology of mine undoes what was done. Listening, believing does a lot.”

Still, some survivors remain disturbed that the archdiocese chose to enter bankruptcy rather than face lawsuits from survivors. As part of the Chapter 11 reorganization proceeding, the church can protect its assets and continue its mission while paying claimants from a pot of money that will be set aside for that purpose.

Survivors with claims against the archdiocese have until May 31 to file claims with the bankruptcy court.

There was never supposed to be a deadline to file claims under the Child Victims Act, but the archdiocese undercut the law when it filed for bankruptcy. The church is also fighting the law in other venues.

The Archdiocese of Washington, which did not declare bankruptcy, is appealing after a Prince George’s County circuit judge found the CVA constitutional last month. A Montgomery County circuit judge recently ruled that the law is unconstitutional. The challenge is expected to go directly to the Maryland Supreme Court.

The law’s opponents have long argued that it is unconstitutional to remove a statute of limitations retroactively. The CVA wiped out the statute of limitations for all future civil claims involving childhood sexual abuse and allowed out-of-date claims to be reopened.