Robert Joseph Banks

Robert Joseph Banks (February 26, 1928 – January 25, 2026) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay in Wisconsin from 1990 to 2003. He was previously an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts from 1985 to 1990.

A protégé of Cardinal Bernard Law, Banks was questioned about his role in the sex abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston in the early 2000s.

Biography Early life Banks was born on February 26, 1928, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Robert and Rita (Sullivan) Banks. He attended primary school in the Winthrop School District in Winthrop, Massachusetts, then went to Cathedral High School and Saint John's Seminary, both in Boston.

Banks finished his studies for the priesthood at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He received his Licentiate of Theology in 1953 and his Doctor of Canon Law degree from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome in 1957.

In 1985 a doctor sent Banks a complaint about the Reverend Joseph E. Birmingham. The complaint stated that Birmingham had sexually abused a large number of boys during his assignments to various parishes, dating back to 1963. In court testimony on January 14, 2003, Banks was asked about how he tracked down Birmingham's victims. Banks' response was "I don't recall doing anything." Banks said that in 1987 he did not stop Birmingham's return as a parochial vicar to St. Brigid's Parish in Lexington, Massachusetts. Shanley was ultimately laicized and convicted of child abuse. In an interview years later, Banks denied knowing about any prior allegations against Shanley and said he could not remember checking his personnel file. However, in 1985, Banks did listen to a tape recording of Shanley at a public meeting in Rochester, New York. In the meeting, Shanley promoted sex between adults and children and said that children were typically the seducers in such relationships. When asked about that recording in court, Banks said he had forgotten about the recording when he wrote the 1990 reference letter to the Diocese of San Bernardino.

On January 25, 2026, Banks died at the age of 97.