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Maryland Survivors Push For Maryland Grand Jury Report On Church

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Survivors of sexual abuse in Maryland are calling on Maryland's Attorney General Brian Frosh to convene a grand jury to investigate their claims—spurred by similar action in Pennsylvania.

Gloria Larkin said two priests at Archbishop Keough High School abused her more than 40 years ago.

Father Joseph Maskell and Father Neil Magnus have since died. Both were featured prominently in the Netflix documentary The Keepers.

"Essentially, we are asking [the Attorney General] to step up and help the survivors no matter how long it has been," Larkin said.

Last week, she sent WJZ the email she wrote to Frosh's office. She has since only received an automated reply.

The Attorney General will neither confirm nor deny the existence of a grand jury investigation to WJZ.

"The Church and other organizations need to be held accountable," Larkin said. "The abuses go beyond state lines."

Larkin is urging others to email Frosh's office: oag@oag.state.md.us

The grand jury report in Pennsylvania revealed one thousand child victims of some 300 predatory priests. It made waves in Baltimore with accusations the late Cardinal William Keeler protected some clergy with documented records of abuse. Keeler also served in Pennsylvania.

Pope Francis has an upcoming meeting with survivors in Ireland and has issued an apology to victims worldwide in the wake of the landmark grand jury findings.

"We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them," the pope said in a letter.

"I believe they are empty words that have no basis in action," Larkin said.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore issued the following statement to WJZ:

"We learned of Ms. Larkin's abuse through her attorney and immediately reported the allegation of abuse to the civil authorities.
It is our policy to meet with all survivors of abuse so that we can extend a personal apology and counseling assistance.
We deeply regret the pain Ms. Larkin is suffering and look forward to helping her achieve some measure of peace and healing."

An online petition calling for a grand jury investigation has garnered more than 70,000 signatures.

Here is the full email Larkin sent to Attorney General Frosh:

"Dear Attorney General Frosh,
This is a private and public request to convene a grand jury to investigate child abuse and the subsequent institutional coverups by the Archdiocese of Baltimore over the last 70 years. As an Archbishop Keough alumna, I have firsthand experience of the horrors the clergy has not just perpetrated but also encouraged and covered up.

Now that the Pennsylvania Attorney General Shapiro's report has been made public, we all know that this abuse does not respect or stop at state lines. Attorney General Frosh, it is your duty and responsibility to investigate the reports and subsequent systematic coverups made of abuse happening in Maryland over the decades. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the two-year probe found a systematic cover-up by senior church officials in Pennsylvania and at the Vatican. 'The cover-up was sophisticated. And all the while, shockingly, church leadership kept records of the abuse and the cover-up. These documents, from the dioceses' own 'Secret Archives,' formed the backbone of this investigation,' he said at a news conference.

Attorney General Frosh, you have every reason to convene a Maryland grand jury right now. Not to do so, in the face of all of the victims who have come forth, would indicate that you have no interest in holding the Archdiocese of Baltimore perpetrators accountable, no interest in giving victims, no matter at what age, the justice they deserve or protecting Maryland citizens and our children from these heinous, life-altering acts."

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