PHILADELPHIA — The Roman Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia announced Friday that five priests under investigation for sexual abuse would be permanently removed from ministry, while three other priests had been exonerated. The 8 were among 26 priests who were suspended in early 2011 because of past accusations of sexual abuse or improper sexual behavior.

The five who will be removed were deemed “unsuitable for ministry,” while the other three may return to active ministry later, said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, announcing his first major action in the scandals since he took office last fall.

His predecessor, Cardinal Justin Rigali, suspended the 26 priests after a withering grand jury report in February 2011 accused the archdiocese of allowing as many as 37 priests to keep working, and remain in possible contact with children, despite “substantial evidence of abuse.”

At a news conference, Archbishop Chaput said that one of the priests in the grand jury report had died, and that church officials had not yet reached conclusions about 17 others. Six of those priests are still under criminal investigation by the Philadelphia district attorney’s office.