Around 600 children were sexually molested by Catholic priests in one American state.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore has been accused of covering up decades of child sexual abuse by priests and other church leaders dating back to the 1940s. The report, released on Wednesday, alleged an “incontrovertible history” of “pervasive, pernicious and persistent abuse,” which was allowed to continue as diocese officials chose to safeguard the institution rather than protect the children in their congregations and schools. The report noted that the abuse was so pervasive that some churches and schools had more than one offender on staff at the same time. The diocese failed to fully implement needed reforms, such as failing to publicly list all of the abusers it knew about and allowing some to retire with pensions, rather than be ousted. This report highlights the depraved, systemic failure of the archdiocese to protect the most vulnerable – the children it was charged to keep safe.