An investigation of sexual abuse in the Boston Archdiocese found Roman Catholic priests and other workers probably molested more than 1,000 people over six decades.
"The mistreatment of children was so massive and so prolonged that it borders on the unbelievable," Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly said yesterdayas he issued a report with the findings.
The report ends a 16-month investigation by Mr 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 has been found in other dioceses. Although the document provides a comprehensive look at what Catholic officials knew, when they knew it and how they covered it up, Mr Reilly said he was hamstrung by state laws that were too weak to allow criminal charges to be filed against the hierarchy.
Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned last December, "bears the ultimate responsibility for the tragic treatment of children that occurred during his tenure", Mr 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.
"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".
PA