The Abuse Crisis and Accountability

Resources from the Archdiocese of Baltimore

  • Frequently Asked Questions

  • Reporting Abuse

    The Archdiocese of Baltimore complies with Maryland laws requiring reporting suspected child abuse to civil authorities. Under Maryland Law any person who has reason to believe a child has been subjected to abuse must report the suspected abuse to civil authorities, even if the potential victim is now over 18 years old and even in cases where the alleged perpetrator is deceased. If someone associated with the Church, including clergy, employees, or volunteers of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, is suspected of abuse, then the suspected abuse must also be reported to the Archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth at 410-547-5438 or the Victims Assistance Line at 1-866-417-7469.

  • Archdiocese of Baltimore's Resources on the Current Crisis

    This page provides the resources offered by the Archdiocese of Baltimore on the current abuse crisis.

  • How to Talk to Your Child About Abuse

  • Office of Child & Youth Protection

    This page details the services offered by the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Office of Child and Youth Protection.

  • List of Priests Accused of Abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore

  • A Reflection from Archbishop William A. Lori

  • EthicsPoint – A third-party (independent) hotline to report concerns

    One method to ensure the proper stewardship of the temporal goods of the Church is to provide interested parties with a way to confidentially report concerns about the conduct of church activities. The use of a hotline will help us achieve our goals of transparency and accountability throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore. We have selected EthicsPoint, an independent third-party company, to provide us with an ethics hotline so employees, volunteers, parishioners, vendors and other interested parties can report concerns about suspected financial or human resources misconduct. This provides us with an additional measure that supports compliance with the extensive policies and procedures of the Archdiocese. Reports can be filed confidentially on this hotline via the web by “learn more” button below, or via one of EthicsPoint’s trained specialists at 1-888-572-8026. Note: in addition to concerns regarding abuse, EthicsPoint can be used to report on the following types of issues:

    Accounting & Financial
    Confidentiality
    Fraud & Theft
    Gifts & Donations
    Harassment & Inappropriate Behavior
    Misuse of Resources
    Threats & Violence
    Workplace Safety
    Office of Child & Youth Protection
    Archdiocesan Secondary, Parochial, and Regional Elementary School Safety Issues

  • Fr. Mike Schmitz on the Pennsylvania Sex Scandal

  • Bishop Barron on Why Remain Catholic

  • Want to Volunteer?

    Among the tools we use to protect our children, we both screen and train all of volunteers. For those working directly with children, additional training is provided in recognizing signs of abuse and reporting.