And another one goes...

[Gob]

Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, is stepping down as leader of the Scottish Catholic Church.

He had been accused of inappropriate behaviour towards priests dating back to the 1980s - claims he contests.

Cardinal O'Brien, the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, apologised to "all whom I have offended" for "any failures" during his ministry.

He will not take part in electing a new pope, leaving Britain unrepresented.

The cardinal said in a statement: "I have valued the opportunity of serving the people of Scotland and overseas in various ways since becoming a priest.

"Looking back over my years of ministry: For any good I have been able to do, I thank God. For any failures, I apologise to all whom I have offended."

He remains a cardinal and would be entitled to join the conclave selecting the new Pope after Benedict XVI announced on 11 February that he would resign - but said he would not go.

"I do not wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me - but rather on Pope Benedict XVI and on his successor," he said.

"However, I will pray with them and for them that, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, they will make the correct choice for the future good of the Church."

The Vatican confirmed the cardinal has stepped down from his post.

Although the announcement has only just been made public, the Scottish Catholic Media Office said Pope Benedict had accepted the cardinal's resignation on 18 February.

The allegations against Cardinal O'Brien emerged in a report in the Observer newspaper on Sunday.

It said three priests and one former priest, from the diocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, complained to the Pope's representative to Britain, nuncio Antonio Mennini, in the week before 11 February.

It said:

The former priest claims Cardinal O'Brien made an inappropriate approach to him in 1980, after night prayers, when he was a seminarian at St Andrew's College, Drygrange. The complainant says he resigned as a priest when Cardinal O'Brien was first made a bishop

A second statement from another complainant says he was living in a parish when he was visited by O'Brien, and inappropriate contact took place between them

A third complainant alleges dealing with what he describes as "unwanted behaviour" by the cardinal in the 1980s after some late-night drinking

And the fourth complainant claims the cardinal used night prayers as an excuse for inappropriate contact

A Scottish Catholic Media Office spokesman said a number of bishops' appointments and resignations were being accepted in the last days of the Pope's time in office.

He said Cardinal O'Brien was taking legal advice and contested the allegations against him, which were "anonymous and non specific".

In Rome, the BBC's world affairs correspondent James Robbins said for a long time the Vatican had been able to "bat away" some criticism of other cardinals who may have been involved in covering up allegations of sexual abuse.

But these were more serious because they alleged Cardinal O'Brien was involved directly in improper behaviour towards other priests.

He added that there was also a sense of regret that Britain would have no voice in the conclave to choose Pope Benedict's successor.

Cardinal O'Brien has been known as a outspoken defender of Catholic teaching on abortion, euthanasia and homosexuality.

He was named Bigot of the Year last year by gay rights group Stonewall Scotland, after he said gay marriage was a "grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right".

[Rick]

He had been accused of inappropriate behaviour towards priests dating back to the 1980s - claims he contests.

What did he do stick his tongue out at them?

[Econoline]

...or in them?

[Rick]

Inappropriate is always sexual?

Dang I'm gettin ripped off...

[Lord Jim]

Maybe he farted at them....

[dgs49]

Better priests than kids.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Pull my finger

[Big RR]

Better priests than kids.

Sure, better, but a supervisor doing this with his direct reports is not just a small matter. Sexual harassment in the workplace is a problem, whether it is a cardinal, president, or shift supervisor.

[Rick]

I guess that made it a Cardinal Sin...

[Big RR]

Leave the Phillipines out of it.

[Lord Jim]

I suppose common sense would indicate that what's involved here was some sort of "advances" or "pass" that the fellow made...

The way this has come about seems rather odd....

Four people all getting together to lodge these vague complaints 30 plus years after the events allegedly took place...

On the other hand, there must be some fire to this smoke, or the guy wouldn't have resigned....

Better priests than kids.

Amen to that....

[Sean]

Pull my finger

Pull my crozier surely...

[rubato]

And illustrating the difference between homosexuality and pedophilia.

yrs,
rubato

[Scooter]

Just to add to the level of intrigue surrounding this, it's been reported that O'Brien made comments in support of married priests on the BBC, just hours before these accusations of misconduct from decades past came to light. Coincidence?

[Gob]

Cardinal O'Brien had been Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric when he stood down as the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh.

At the time, he said he would not take part in the election for a successor to Pope Benedict.

The statement issued through the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland read: "In recent days certain allegations which have been made against me have become public. Initially, their anonymous and non-specific nature led me to contest them.

"However, I wish to take this opportunity to admit that there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal.

"To those I have offended, I apologise and ask forgiveness. To the Catholic Church and people of Scotland, I also apologise.

"I will now spend the rest of my life in retirement. I will play no further part in the public life of the Catholic Church in Scotland."

The cardinal - who initially said he was taking legal advice when the allegations against him were made public - had been due to retire later this month when he turned 75.

[rubato]

There's a novelty, a Catholic cleric who knows how to confess!

Most of them just go into fits of self-justifying dishonesty.


yrs,
rubato

[Gob]

Fallen Cardinal Keith O'Brien was in a 'longstanding physical relationship' with another priest despite his outspoken views on homosexuality, which he had called a 'moral degradation', it was claimed today.

The former head of the Catholic Church in Scotland is alleged to have been having an affair for years with one of the four men that eventually forced his resignation.

Cardinal O'Brien is said to have confessed to the relationship after the Vatican was warned about his behaviour towards other priests during the 1980s.

It is alleged that his former partner, a priest outside Scotland, was due to speak to the press but was warned off by his bishop.

According to the Herald in Scotland, the lover had been the Cardinal's long-term boyfriend and had until recently been a frequent visitor to St Benets, O'Brien's official residence in Edinburgh.

One senior church figure told the paper: 'There were many questions that others were asking about the relationship'.

'These guys, we now know, were part of an inner circle. In the 30 years since these allegations took place there's been ample time to complain. The Cardinal has had a huge profile for the past decade. But the door wasn't just shut on them, it was bolted in the past 18 months,' another said.

'I believe they wanted to silence O'Brien - as he's about to do another conclave, and make a huge deal of it. As he's retiring, a decision's been taken to go public and take him down,' he claimed.

Gay rights groups want him to apologise over his inflammatory remarks over gay marriage.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Gay rights groups want him to apologise over his inflammatory remarks over gay marriage.

One can be gay and still disagree with gay marriage.

And for the record, I am neutral on the gay marriage debate. It does not affect my heterosexual marriage one bit. If certain religions want to marry gays that's fine. If certain religions don't, that's fine too.

[Scooter]

I suppose one can be gay and be opposed to same-sex marriage, although I can't really imagine the degree of self-loathing that one must feel for that to be the case.

But if one is going to be a priest in a clandestine gay relationship, one should shut one's mouth rather than pontificate about how much of a "moral degradation" homosexuality is.