The Roman Catholic pastor of a Norwell church accused of recently engaging in “inappropriate behavior in the presence of minors” has taken a voluntary, paid administrative leave of absence, the Archdiocese of Boston announced on Sunday.

The Rev. Thomas H. Maguire, the pastor at Saint Helen Mother of the Emperor Constantine Parish in Norwell since 2001, will remain on leave, barring him from partaking in any public ministry, pending the results of a preliminary investigation by the Archdiocese.