State prosecutors had countered that those named in the report — which singled out more than 300 priests who preyed on more than 1,000 victims over 70 years — were given the chance to respond in writing. They noted that the allegations in the report were supported by the church's own internal records, which prosecutors drew on heavily during their inquiry. They did not bring charges in the vast majority of the priest-abuse cases because the criminal statute of limitations had lapsed, they said.