Clergy sex abuse victims call for independent review of Milwaukee archdiocese abuse claims

Peter Isely, Midwest director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, speaks about the Milwaukee archdiocese's bankruptcy case during a news conference in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed its bankruptcy reorganization plan, formalizing a recent settlement deal that will divvy up $21 million among more than 300 victims of clergy sex abuse. (AP Photo/Greg Moore) (The Associated Press)

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Peter Isely, Midwest director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, speaks to reporters about the Milwaukee archdiocese's bankruptcy case in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. He wants an independent commission to investigate abuse accusations sealed in the case's files. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger) (The Associated Press)

In this photo taken Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015, in Milwaukee, Peter Isely, midwest director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, speaks to reporters about the Milwaukee archdiocese's bankruptcy case. He wants an independent commission to investigate abuse accusations sealed in the case's files. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger) (The Associated Press)

MILWAUKEE – A group of clergy sexual abuse victims has called for an independent commission to investigate molestation accusations it says are sealed in a bankruptcy case involving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The move comes a day after church lawyers formalized a $21 million settlement between nearly 400 abuse victims and the archdiocese.

It advances a position the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has held for years that church officials shouldn't be first to review clergy abuse reports.

Church officials have firmly maintained that abuse claims have been properly and transparently investigated and that they've worked ensure children's safety.

The settlement indicates those steps include annual audits. It also says every report of clerical sexual abuse of a minor, provided the accused is alive, is handed to prosecutors.