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Headline angers Bp. Banks

Surprise and anger.

That was Bp. Banks' reaction to a front-page headline in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (11/21/02) accusing him of overlooking alleged child sexual abuse by Fr. Paul Shanley, a Boston area priest and accused pedophile.

"The headline ... is not true," Bp. Banks said at a Nov. 21st press conference. "The first time that I ever heard of Fr. Shanley's alleged pedophilia was this year. That is the first time."

The accusations that Bp. Banks, vicar of administration in the Boston Archdiocese from 1984 to 1990, ignored multiple allegations against Fr. Shanley arose on Nov. 19. That was when contents from depositions made in August and October by Boston's Card. Bernard Law were made public. Card. Law testified in connection with a lawsuit brought against him relating to the actions of Fr. Shanley, who is charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse against minors during the 1970s and 1980s.

Media reports said that Bp. Banks:

• knew of repeated times that Fr. Shanley, who ministered to the gay and homeless community in Boston, spoke in favor of sex between men and boys;

• knew of multiple accusations of sexual abuse against Fr. Shanley;

• and had subsequently appointed Fr. Shanley to serve as a mediator between Fr. Daniel Graham and a man who had accused Fr. Graham of sexual abuse.

Bp. Banks said that, while he served as vicar of administration, the Boston Archdiocese had heard of only one statement made by Fr. Shanley advocating sexual activity between men and boys. He said Fr. Shanley was immediately reprimanded and told "that's not the way a priest is supposed to talk."

At the press conference, the bishop repeated several times that he had not heard of any accusations of pedophilia against Fr. Shanley while he was in Boston.

Bp. Banks did handle an accusation made against Fr. Shanley by an adult patient in a mental institution. The man accused Fr. Shanley of speaking "rather graphically about sex ... almost as if he were coming on to him," Bp. Banks said. "So I spoke to Fr. Shanley. Fr. Shanley denied it."

With no means to confirm or deny the charge, Fr. Shanley was allowed to continue in ministry.

Regarding the instance with Fr. Graham, removed from priestly ministry earlier this year for accusations of sexual misconduct, Bp. Banks said Fr. Shanley did not serve in a formal capacity as a mediator. The alleged victim -- an adult by the time of the accusation --asked to speak with someone about Fr. Graham. Fr. Shanley was suggested -- not by Bp. Banks -- because of his background in ministry to the gay community. Bp. Banks agreed. Fr. Shanley also spoke with Fr. Graham, at the accused priest's request.

Bp. Banks said that, when Fr. Graham had admitted the abuse -- which had taken place 15 years earlier -- to him, Fr. Graham expressed remorse. After psychiatric review and, with Bp. Banks' approval, Fr. Graham was returned to ministry. A second evaluation was done a few years later, also clearing Fr. Graham to remain in ministry.

This shows, Bp. Banks notes, how the medical community's understanding and society's reaction to sexual misconduct have changed over the years.

"Back then," he said, "we treated it as a sin, as a psychological problem, trying to deal with it. It didn't work. So now, basically, we treat it as a crime, a particularly heinous crime ... There's no room anymore for giving a second chance."

Bp. Banks added that he believes it is very important to involve victims when deciding what to do with priests who have admitted to or been proven guilty of sexual abuse that happened years ago and with no subsequent accusations. Some victims, he said, have been able to put these incidents behind them and made it "a closed chapter" in their lives. Others still live with daily pain and "their lives have been really upset by this." They, especially, need pastoral care.

When asked if he felt Card. Law had "passed the buck" to him in the deposition, Bp. Banks disagreed, saying that his former superior had "entrusted me with the administration of the diocese" and that those entrusted with administration "have to take responsibility for our actions."

He added that the charges against him in the media have arisen, not so much from Card. Law's deposition, as from administrative notes that Bp. Banks himself kept while serving in Boston.

"I obviously would not make notes that would show me to be uncaring and lax," Bp. Banks said. "They show that, back in the 1980s, our first response was not to remove a priest from priestly ministry, as we do today, but to try to save the priest from himself and for good priestly ministry. And we found out -- that doesn't work."

(Editor's note: On Nov. 21, after Bp. Banks' press conference, the Associated Press in Milwaukee advised its subscriber news outlets that there had been inaccuracies in earlier stories that used the term "pedophilia" as among the allegations which Bp. Banks had heard regarding Fr. Paul Shanley. However, The Compass has been unable to locate any retractions made by local media outlets.)