EDITORIAL MAHONY'S MOMENT.

NOW that the path has been cleared for some 100 lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, we can only hope that Cardinal Roger Mahony will come clean once and for all.

Three years ago, the lawsuits had been put on hold in hopes that out-of-court settlements could be reached. But during that time, Mahony stonewalled on releasing key diocesan personnel records, and most cases were never settled.

Now, plaintiffs hope, as the trials go forward and discovery begins, the cardinal will have no choice but to come to the bargaining table. If nothing else, subpoenas might force him to turn over information that -- for the benefit of victims, as well as all Catholics in the archdiocese he serves -- he should have turned over a long time ago.

The priestly sex-abuse scandal has continued for far too long because clerics such as Mahony have been more interested in protecting their own than in justice. It shouldn't take a court of law to make a man of the cloth do the right thing; but, in this case, that might just be what it takes.