For years, the three Roman Catholic dioceses operating parishes in Maryland have successfully lobbied lawmakers to keep sexual abuse survivors from filing lawsuits against the church, a Baltimore Sun review of lobbying records shows.
In 2017, lobbying records show the dioceses hired Venable, Maryland’s largest law firm, to influence portions of a bill lawmakers approved to expand the civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims to 20 years past the age of adulthood.
In partnership with the Baltimore City Police Department and other nonprofits and businesses in the city, the Archdiocese of Baltimore started a grief ministry program that assists families who have lost loved ones to violence.