Published 10:00 p.m. PST Monday, March 4, 2002

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Word that the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese has removed as many as a dozen priests involved in sex abuse cases was hailed Monday as a victory for people fighting pastoral sex abuse.

"This was our vision," said Katherine K. Freberg, an Irvine attorney who won a $5.2 million settlement last year for a man who said he was sexually abused as a teen-ager. Part of the settlement with Ryan DiMaria required the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Diocese of Orange to adopt "zero tolerance" policies toward sexual abuse in the clergy.

Last month, Cardinal Roger Mahony, who heads the Los Angeles Archdiocese, promised that any allegation would be investigated and any abusers removed rather than reassigned to other parishes.

The Los Angeles Times, citing anonymous sources within the archdiocese, said Monday that Mahony has begun doing just that, forcing six to 12 priests to leave. Those forced out were involved in sexual abuse cases dating as far back as 10 years, the Times said.

Archdiocese officials refused to confirm or deny the report.

Mahony "wants to let his pastoral statement speak for itself," archdiocese spokesman Tod M. Tamberg told The Associated Press. He added that archdiocese officials do discuss removals of priests with members of the parishes where the clergymen worked.

In a related matter, the Rev. Michael Pecharich, announced Sunday he had been forced to resign from an Orange County parish for having a relationship with a teen-age boy 19 years ago.

Pecharich, founding pastor of the San Francisco Solano Church in Rancho Santa Margarita, apologized personally to his parishioners.

The 56-year-old priest was asked to leave last week by the Bishop of Orange, the Most Rev. Tod D. Brown. His case had been known to church officials since 1996.

Dioceses across the country have been under pressure to rid themselves of any priests with a history of sexual misconduct following a scandal that erupted last month in the Boston Archdiocese.

Cardinal Bernard Law in Boston declared a zero-tolerance policy for abuse as a result of the case of defrocked priest John Geoghan, who was shuttled from parish to parish as allegations against him surfaced.

Geoghan, who is accused of molesting 130 children, is serving a prison sentence for fondling a 10-year-old boy and faces more charges.

The cost of past, pending and future sexual abuse claims against the Boston Archdiocese could reach $100 million.

Cardinal Law reluctantly gave law enforcement officials the names of 80 priests who had been accused in the past of abusing children. His action was followed by similar disclosures in Philadelphia.

Tamberg would not say whether the Los Angeles Archdiocese had given information to law enforcement authorities, but he noted that state law requires clergy, teachers and other people who work with children to report child abuse.

Freberg said the archdiocese should go further to fight sexual abuse by publicly disclosing the names of the priests involved.

She also objected to the priests Mahony removed being given what the Times reported were generous severance packages.

"What company - other than Enron - pays known criminals a generous severance package?" she asked.

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