American priests accused of sexually abusing children should be reported to police, according to Roman Catholic church leaders trying to resolve the paedophile crisis.

The US bishops believe the Vatican should be asked to defrock serial offenders - meaning they would lose their jobs - while clergymen guilty of just one offence in the past may be allowed to stay in the Church with restrictions.

The sexual abuse of children and young people by some priests and bishops... has caused enormous pain, anger and confusion

Draft report

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will debate the report at a meeting in Dallas, Texas, next week hoping to come up with a nationwide policy.

The Roman Catholic Church in America has been rocked by nationwide revelations of priests sexually abusing children and ensuing cover-ups by senior clergy.

American Church leaders have acknowledged the crisis as unprecedented in their time, but there has been no agreement on how to restore the strained trust between clergy and congregation.

Outside involvement

The draft report, by a committee of bishops, suggests involving police and other civilian law enforcement agencies as soon as reports of abuse are made against a priest.

But some senior American Roman Catholics are said to be staunchly opposed to bringing in outsiders.

Church leaders including Cardinal Bernard Law have been accused of covering up abuse

The issue has become key after revelations that bishops moved abusive priests from parish to parish - allegedly sometimes with the knowledge of the Vatican - rather than address their crimes.

The draft report said: "The sexual abuse of children and young people by some priests and bishops, and the ways in which these crimes and sins were too often dealt with by bishops, have caused enormous pain, anger and confusion.

"They have strained the bonds of trust that should unite us," it added.

The report's main recommendations included:

• Remove all priests who have abused more than one child in the past and any who abuse youngsters in the future

• Report all abuse allegations to civil authorities

• Review whether a priest who has molested one child can continue to work with children

• Background checks for all workers who have contact with children

• Detailed personnel records to be provided on any priest who seeks to transfer to another diocese

• Each diocese to create a review board, comprised mainly of lay people, to examine abuse claims

• Establish an outreach program to support victims of priestly sexual abuse

• Create a commission to research how the US church has responded to sex abuse by priests

• Create a national Office of Child and Youth Protection

• Create a review board, including parents, to work with the Child Protection Office

But for those arguing zero-tolerance against child abusers in the clergy the proposals are unlikely to go far enough.

Broader debate wanted

Although under the plan serial and future offenders should be removed, priests who committed abuse just once could be allowed to remain in the priesthood.

Such priests would be allowed to remain if they were not diagnosed as a paedophile, had received counselling and met other conditions.

The BBC's Rob Watson said many of the 65 million Roman Catholics in the US are likely to remain unhappy and call for debate on broader reforms, including the end of priestly celibacy and the ordination of women.

The proposed plan will be put to a vote when bishops from around the US gather in Dallas for a meeting on 13-15 June.