"The mistreatment of children was so massive and so prolonged that it borders on the unbelievable," said Attorney General Tom Reilly, who blamed church leaders for the scandal. But Reilly said he was hamstrung by state laws that were too weak to allow criminal charges to be filed against the hierarchy.
The report ends a 16-month investigation by Reilly's office and a grand jury session that was convened last summer to consider charging church leaders.
The extent of abuse outlined in the report dwarfs what's been found in other dioceses. The document provides a comprehensive look at what Catholic officials knew, when they knew it and how they covered it up.
Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned last December, "bears the ultimate responsibility for the tragic treatment of children that occurred during his tenure," Reilly said in the 76-page report.
The cardinal was aware of the abuse even before he arrived in Boston as archbishop in 1984, and he and his inner circle were actively informed about complaints against numerous priests. But with only rare exceptions did any of Law's senior assistants advise him to take steps that would put a halt to what became the systematic abuse of children, Reilly said.
"The choice was very clear, between protecting children and protecting the church. They made the wrong choice," he said. "In effect, they sacrificed children for many, many years."
