CINCINNATI — The head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati supports removing priests who sexually abuse minors, but also stands by his belief that some can be rehabilitated.

        “The difficulty is to discern which they are and what their rehabilitation would require,” Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk said.

        Pilarczyk, 67, has said little publicly about the scandal plaguing the church since saying in March that “fewer than five” priests who sexually abused children during the past 20 years had been returned to ministry in the 19-county archdiocese in southwest Ohio.

        He responded to written questions submitted by the Dayton Daily News and the Hamilton-Journal News for stories published Sunday.

        Pilarczyk wrote that he endorsed the “zero tolerance” policy American cardinals discussed at a recent Vatican meeting with Pope John Paul II. Church officials have said the policy will be debated during a meeting of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in Dallas next month.

        “The problem of sexual abuse in the church is no bigger and no smaller than it is anywhere else,” Pilarczyk said. “Obviously one case per century is too much, but sexual abuse of children is not a rampant moral disease that afflicts large numbers of clergy.”

        Since Jan. 1, almost 200 priests nationwide have been stripped of their duties and placed on paid administrative leave because of sex abuse accusations. Other priests have sought counseling and returned to the ministry, but some are being investigated by prosecutors for possible criminal charges.

        Prosecutors in Cincinnati and Dayton have filed grand jury subpoenas requesting records from the Cincinnati Archdiocese. Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen has said the archdiocese withheld some records, which the church said are protected by state law.

        “I am trying to deal with our present difficulties as forthrightly as I can, trying to balance the rights and wishes of the victims, the rights of the perpetrators, canon law, civil law and public perception,” Pilarczyk said.

        “I have found myself much saddened by it all, saddened by the sufferings of the victims, by the actions of the perpetrators, by the difficulties of other dioceses.”

        Pilarczyk clarified his earlier statements by confirming five priests from the archdiocese are still working after abusing children. One works at the Vatican, one is semi-retired and three are working in parishes within the archdiocese, he said.

        “In each case, there are persons on site who know about the offender's condition and who exercise supervision over him,” Pilarczyk said. “Their cases are subject to periodic review. I have been unwilling to publicize names because I am convinced that no child or minor is at risk from any of these priests.”

        Another three priests are on paid leave after admitting they sexually abused minors. They are not allowed to wear a collar, present themselves as priests or administer the sacraments.

        No priests from the archdiocese who have sexually abused children are now working in other dioceses, Pilarczyk said.

        In the past 20 years, the archdiocese has spent about $2.5 million in legal fees, counseling and settlements for child abuse cases, most of which was covered by insurance, Pilarczyk said.

        “We want people to know that we are sorry for any abuse that has been experienced at the hands of any employee or agent of the archdiocese. We want the victims to feel free to come forward for help,” he said.

        “We want to do everything we can to see that such things do not happen again and that, if and when they do, they are responded to appropriately.”

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