Pope Francis Accepts Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien's Resignation Following Gay Relationship Scandal
Former Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the anti-gay crusader who stepped down in 2013 after being accused of "inappropriate acts" with other priests, and later admitted having
a long-term relationship with one of the priests whose accusations led
to him getting sacked, will play no further public church role, the
Vatican confirmed today.
The Guardian reports:
O’Brien
will retain his title, but he will be reduced to a strictly private
life. The resignation followed the decision by the pope to send a
personal envoy, archbishop Charles Scicluna, to Scotland last year to
investigate the allegations.
The Guardian reports:
Francis reached his decision based on the
inquiry. Its contents are fully known only to the pontiff and Scicluna.
O’Brien’s decision followed a private discussion with the pope.
“I wish to repeat the apology which I
made to the Catholic church and the people of Scotland some two years
ago now on 3 March 2013,” O’Brien said in a statement. “I then said that
there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the
standards expected of me. For that I am deeply sorry.
“I thank Pope Francis for his fatherly
care of me and of those I have offended in any way. I will continue to
play no part in the public life of the Church in Scotland; and will
dedicate the rest of my life in retirement, praying especially for the
Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, for Scotland, and for those I
have offended in any way.”
The BBC has more on how the scandal went down here.
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