Banks on church response: 'At best inadequate and at worst scandalous' The church has paid out $250,000 in settlements and legal costs By Patti Zarling News-Chronicle ALLOUEZ - Bishop Robert Banks acknowledged Friday the church has made mistakes when handling accusations of sexual abuse by priests, but he promised the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay will have stricter controls in place by fall. Members of a Record Review Task Force, formed in April to study all files with allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Green Bay Diocesan priests, said at a news conference Friday they reviewed the files of 980 priests dating back to 1859. They discovered 39 allegations of sexual abuse, most of which happened 25 to 40 years ago. That shouldn't be surprising, member Tom Joynt said, because these cases often take years to be reported. In many of the cases, the priest is deceased, he said. The task force found that: — 17 accused priests are deceased. — Three have left the priesthood (two are "laicized," a formal process through Rome, one is not.) — One has resigned. — Seven are in active ministry: Two have been investigated by police but no charges materialized; two have had allegations that subsequently were dropped by the complainant or complainant's representative; one case was resolved in civil court but still is subject to an ongoing internal review; one case was dropped by the complainant but still is subject to an ongoing internal review; and one case is undergoing internal review. — One priest is in restricted ministry without any parish or school contact. — One is retired without any parish or school contact. — One is on administrative leave, and eight are unable to perform priestly ministry. Banks noted that in the 11 years he's been in Green Bay, less than $250,000 has been paid out in settlements, legal costs for the diocese and counseling for the victims. Most of that was for one case. He said money to cover those costs did not come from the Bishop's Appeal, but from other funds, principally investments. The Bishop's Appeal is used for the operating costs of the diocese, he said. In accepting the task force recommendations, the bishop said the diocese will tighten its policies, possibly as soon as fall. "The way the church leaders and bishops, including myself, handled abusive priests in the past was at best inadequate and at worst scandalous," he said. "That has to change ... I deeply regret that bishops, including myself and others in the church, did not act more decisively in taking out of ministry those who abused our children and young people." Banks said he feels the diocese must strongly encourage people to come forward if they know is abuse of a minor is occurring, and that the church must do a better job of responding to adults who suffered from sexual abuse from a priest or church minister when they were young. The task force issued 12 recommendations, including: — The Diocese should forward to the appropriate civil authority any complaint concerning alleged sexual abuse of a minor by a Diocesan priest, deacon, employee or volunteer. Any complaint and a summery of its investigation should be recorded in they person's personnel file. — Regardless of the civil or criminal investigation and findings, the Diocese should follow a clearly delineated process for conducting an internal investigation of a complaint. The task force also said investigations should remain confidential as much as possible. Joynt said keeping information confidential would protect the rights of the accused as well as make things easier for the victims. — When a Diocesan priest with an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor relocates on his own to another diocese, the bishop should send a letter to the bishop of that diocese, informing him of that priest's status, including allegations. Banks said the diocese must now work out the details of the recommendations. He expects to have a better idea of how to proceed after a bishops conference in Dallas. "We're not trying to hide anything," he said. "I think (the report) is going be a great help to us."