Boston ? Cardinal Bernard Law assured a special church panel Friday the Roman Catholic Church would end the problem of sexual abuse while the panel offered new suggestions to better protect children.

“We are determined to get ahead of this problem,” Law told members of the Commission for the Protection of Children. “This is so reassuring, I know, to many in the church, and I hope in the wider society.”

Law appointed the panel in the wake of the sex abuse scandal that erupted in January. The commission was scheduled to release a final draft of recommendations Friday, but Law said the group hadn’t settled on the language.

However, the Archdiocese of Boston released some of the panel’s suggestions Friday, including creation of a code of conduct specifying what constitutes inappropriate physical contact between clergy and children.

The panel also recommended disclosing priests’ records to potential employers or volunteer agencies and immediately removing offenders from the ministry if a “credible” abuse allegation is reported.

The commission also stressed prompt reporting of sexual misconduct to church and civil authorities, better screening of clergy and church workers, and establishment of lay groups to monitor and enforce church policy.

The draft will be discussed at the commission’s July 13 meeting.