Archbishop: Maryland AG Investigating Records In Abuse Probe
BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland's attorney general is delving into confidential records of the Roman Catholic Church as part of an investigation into child sex abuse allegations in the Baltimore archdiocese.
In a Monday letter to Catholic clergy, Archbishop William Lori writes the archdiocese was informed by Attorney General Brian Frosh of "an investigation of records related to the sexual abuse of children."
The church says it will cooperate.
The Catholic Church will crack its files for state investigators and give them a look at decades of information.
Unlike other U.S. states that have announced sweeping investigations into clergy sex abuse, Frosh's office will only say it doesn't confirm or deny the existence of any investigations.
However, Frosh recently called for victims of abusers "associated with a school or place of worship" to come forward.
Liz Murphy, a survivor, said that is how she ended up in a lengthy interview with prosecutors and an FBI agent.
"Justice has been denied and delayed for far too long in this case," Murphy said.
Her case dates back to the 1970s, inside the classrooms of a Baltimore Catholic school, where she said a teacher preyed on students for years while administrators looked away.
Her rapist, John Merzbacher, is in prison.
But Murphy said other educators knew of and failed to report his crimes and never paid the price.
"There were enablers around him that allowed this behavior to happen in a two-story, eight-room schoolhouse.
What an investigation in Baltimore could uncover is still to be seen.
"I believe that what they found in Pennsylvania, they won't find much different in Baltimore, only my guess is that it will be worse," Murphy said.
Follow @WJZ on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook
