The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati took swift action against a west side pastor convicted of soliciting an undercover male police officer for sex at a Dayton park. Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk accepted the Rev. Raymond Larger's resignation Tuesday as pastor of Our Lady of Visitation Church in Green Township and put him on indefinite administrative leave. The order means Larger is not allowed to celebrate the sacraments, engage in priestly ministry or present himself as a priest. Archbishop Pilarczyk's action was the strongest measure he could take on his own authority against a priest.

Decisive action is exactly what's needed to put wayward clergy out of commission, and it was sorely missing in recent years in such scandal-plagued dioceses as Louisville, Boston and Los Angeles.

Cincinnati Archdiocesan officials have not indicated if they will seek a church trial, which could permanently remove Larger from the priesthood. Pilarczyk said in a written statement that the church expects priests to be chaste, and he apologized to the people of the archdiocese for the scandal and pain caused by Larger's case. The priest pleaded no contest July 25 to two misdemeanor charges of soliciting for sex and public indecency. A Montgomery County Court magistrate in Dayton ordered Larger to pay a $100 fine and court costs of $58 and put him on probation for a year

Swift action in such cases is warranted to restore trust in the churches and in ordained clergy.