By Rachel Zoll, Associated Press, 06/09/02

| Complete coverage |  TODAY'S GLOBE Mass. priest removed from post Dozens claim abuse by Ky. priest  DOCUMENTS Documents released June 4 show that top officials of the Boston Archdiocese had extensive knowledge of allegations of sexual misconduct by several priests. See documents June 4 Bishops' plan on dealing with abuse  REALVIDEO | NECN.com | Help with video | Law deposed in Geoghan case New church documents released Bishops unveil policy proposal Video clips require RealPlayer and Windows 98 or higher.  PROFILE Bernard Law followed a circuitous route to the Boston Archdiocese. Now he could be forced to leave in shame.   Scandal darkens a bright career Career timeline   Photos of Law Changing statements on abuse More coverage of Law  MESSAGE BOARDS April 10 How to address priest sex scandal? January 26 What do you think of Cardinal Law?  GLOBE / WBZ-TV POLL Catholics want Law to resign An April Globe poll found that 65 percent of local Catholics believe Cardinal Law should resign. Complete poll results Earlier poll: February results  GLOBE ARCHIVES Find past articles on: John Geoghan Father Paul Shanley Cardinal Bernard Law Boston Archdiocese Or run your own custom search: Search for: Search from: Today Yesterday Past 30 days Past 12 months Since 1979 More search options  CONTACT SPOTLIGHT If you have information on child abuse by priests, call (617) 929-3208 Or leave a confidential message at this number (617) 929-7483 The Spotlight Team e-mail address is spotlight@globe.com.

An advocacy group for victims of sex abuse by priests said Sunday it will withdraw from a lawsuit that prompted Roman Catholic bishops to bar them from this week's meeting on ousting predators from the priesthood.

David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests, said his group wanted to remove any obstacles to talks and will formally withdraw from the lawsuit Monday.

"We don't want anything to get in the way of genuine dialogue that might ultimately benefit children," Clohessy said in a letter to Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. "We hope you see it as a tangible step toward reconciliation and toward making the church safer."

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the bishops' conference, said she could not comment until Monday, when conference administrators would have their first chance to review the group's offer.

Clohessy had been scheduled to address the bishops during the opening session of their three-day meeting that starts Thursday in Dallas.

He and members of SNAP, along with other victims, had also been invited to meet privately with three cardinals, and address a closed session of the bishops' panel devising a national policy on disciplining abusive clergy.

The plans were finalized last Thursday. That same day, SNAP joined a class-action lawsuit in Minnesota against the bishops' conference and several dioceses, seeking to void confidentiality agreements in settlements with victims.

Gregory said the litigation created a legal barrier to discussion. He withdrew his invitation to Clohessy and SNAP and said he was "very disappointed" that his efforts to meet had been "met with a lawsuit."

In other developments:

-- In Baltimore, The Rev. George Loskarn was placed on a leave of absence after he was confronted with an allegation of past sex abuse Thursday and admitted to it, the Baltimore Archdiocese said.

-- In Kettering, Ohio, a priest who underwent treatment for touching a boy inappropriately in 1988 was suspended after new allegations surfaced, the Cincinnati archdiocese said. The Rev. Lawrence Strittmatter, 69, has not denied the allegations, Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk told parishioners during masses.