His failings were made public in 2013 when a British weekly newspaper revealed he had made sexual advances to seminarians more than 20 years earlier.

O'Brien admitted and apologised for his actions. In 2015 he renounced the "rights and duties" of a cardinal.

He was the first cardinal to "give up" his red hat since 1927.

He spent his final years living in Northumberland in the north of England.

Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols told mourners at O'Brien's funeral it was worth remembering O'Brien's many acts of goodness, courage and simple kindness.

These characteristics should be considered along with his failings, Nichols said in his homily.

"No matter how great or slight our achievements might be, we cannot depend on them. No, we come before God empty-handed so that we can receive the one thing necessary: a full measure of God's mercy."

Because the press had made O'Brien's life public, Nichols said "We all know its light and its darkness; we need not spend time talking about them even more for he has given us the key words.

"In his last will and testament, he wrote: ‘I ask forgiveness of all I have offended in this life. I thank God for the many graces and blessings he has given me, especially the Sacrament of Holy Orders'."

Nichols continued: "Today, as we pray for the repose of his soul, we also pray for all those he offended and ask God to strengthen them at this time."

Source

• The Tablet
• Catholic Herald
• Crux Now
• Image: sundiata post

The former archbishop in Edinburgh, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, resigned amid scandal last year.

Maltese auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna has been asked to listen to and report the testimony of past and present clergy in the archdiocese.

Bishop Scicluna served as the promoter of justice at the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith until 2012, when he was made auxiliary bishop in Malta.

At the Vatican post, he was known for reviewing hundreds of case files of priests who were eventually dismissed from ministry for sexual abuse.

Bishop Scicluna is most known for being asked by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 2005 to collect testimony regarding the serial sexual abuser and founder of the Legionaries of Christ, Fr Marcial Maciel.

Cardinal O'Brien resigned last February after being accused of sexual misconduct dating back 30 years.

The accusations came from five men, three of them priests and one a former priest.

Cardinal O'Brien later admitted that his sexual conduct had fallen short of that expected of priest, archbishop and cardinal.

Since then he has been ordered to undergo a period of prayer and penance and is living outside of the archdiocese.

Commentators believe this is the first time a pope has ordered an investigation into the alleged sexual misconduct of a cardinal.

Other cardinals and bishops have resigned following allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct.

The cardinal's successor, Archbishop Leo Cushley, has conducted informal inquiries into the allegations and in February travelled to Rome to give his view.

The investigation was announced by the archbishop in two letters to his clergy on April 1.

Archbishop Cushley asked priests who wish to speak to Bishop Scicluna to "prepare their narrative in writing".

Archbishop Cushley wrote that the Maltese bishop will "listen to and report the testimony offered by past and present members of the clergy . . . concerning any incidents of sexual misconduct committed against them by other members of the clergy whomsoever".

Cardinal O'Brien was not named in Archbishop Cushley's letters.

Sources:

• National Catholic Reporter
• The Tablet
• Image: The Guardian

The church said it would reveal the number of incidents reported, their nature and the results of investigations into them.

It will also carry out an audit of all historic abuse allegations made between 1947 and 2005.

The Scotsman, meanwhile, reported that a dossier of documents containing allegations of more than 20 cases of abuse in the Catholic Church has been passed to police.

Confidential letters from Scottish bishops, dating back to 1995 and including every diocese in Scotland, will be reviewed by Police Scotland, the force ­confirmed.

In one, a bishop describes abuse against "two severely mentally-handicapped young female adults", according to reports in a Sunday newspaper. Another reportedly refers to a 15-year-old boy as "sexually mature".

Former advisor to the Motherwell diocese, Alan Draper, called for criminal investigations and an independent Scottish Government inquiry into sexual abuse in the Church.

The revelation came as it was revealed that a former moderator of the Church of Scotland's General Assembly has been asked to look into safeguarding procedures in the Catholic church. Andrew McLellan, who is also a former chief inspector of prisons for Scotland, will oversee the review.

Peter Kearney, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said the Church has co-operated with police and would continue to do so.

The Roman Catholic Church said the three initiatives were being launched "in a spirit of openness and transparency".

It follows a series of scandals in the church, with the most recent allegations concerning the Fort Augustus Abbey School.

The former leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, stepped down earlier this year after admitting sexual misconduct.

Sources

BBC
The Scotsman
The Herald
Image: BBC

Cardinal O'Brien resigned as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh after the public release of accusations that he had made homosexual advances on young priests.

Baroness Helena Kennedy, a barrister, broadcaster and Labour member of the House of Lords, said: "I feel very sad for Cardinal O'Brien because here was a man who quite clearly had wanted to have a sexual life and felt that it was a failing for him to want to have a sexual life and that he was going against his commitment to celibacy.

"It is terrible to torture people by expecting that of them and I just feel huge compassion for him. I do not like the idea that there might be an issue of being predatory but I do not want to make a judgment on that.

"But he himself has said that he was involved in sexual activity and I feel very sad that that was something that he had to in some way bury, then give expression to — then feel shame and guilt and presumably is absolutely covered with guilt now."

Lady Kennedy, who was brought up in a Catholic family in Glasgow, said she was not speaking as someone who would consider herself to be a "devout" Catholic. She said she preferred to call herself a "bad" Catholic.

She was speaking in the House of Commons at the launch of a declaration by a group of 179 Catholic scholars on authority in the Church.

The group's declaration said the faithful had suffered from "misguided" Church rulings on sexual ethics, including contraception, homosexuality and remarriage, and called for a new pope to introduce more democracy in the Church.

Lady Kennedy was joined at the launch by Catholic peer Lord Hylton, Professor Ursula King of Bristol University, Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh, and former priest John Wijngaards.

Source:

The Independent

Image: The Guardian

It said Vatican spokesmen refused to confirm whether an investigation would be launched but the Scottish Catholic Media Office said it expected an inquiry would take place once Benedict XVI's successor is chosen.

The paper suggested the inquiry would be conducted by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, who has taken over the archdiocese as administrator, has said "there is little doubt that the credibility and moral authority of the Catholic Church in Scotland has been dealt a serious blow and we will need to come to terms with that".

"Many reproaches have been aimed at the Church and at individuals over this matter," he said. "The most stinging charge which has been levelled against us in this matter is hypocrisy — and for obvious reasons."

Archbishop Tartaglia said it would take for the Church in Scotland to recover its credibility and moral authority.

"The answer to this sad episode is not to throw in the towel. We need, rather, to renew our faithfulness to Jesus Christ and to go about our business humbly."

Meanwhile, Catherine Deveney, the journalist who reported the accusations against Cardinal O'Brien in The Observer, has told how the story unfolded.

"This is not about the exposure of one man's alleged foibles. It is about the exposure of a church official who publicly issues a moral blueprint for others' lives that he is not prepared to live out himself," she wrote.

"Homosexuality is not the issue; hypocrisy is. The cardinal consistently condemned homosexuality during his reign, vociferously opposing gay adoption and same-sex marriage.

"The Church cannot face in two directions like a grotesque two-headed monster: one face for public, the other for private."

Sources:

The Independent

BBC News

The Guardian

Image: Daily Record

Cardinal O'Brien had been the most senior Catholic in Britain until his resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on February 18 after three priests and a former priest accused him of "inappropriate acts" in the 1980s.

These allegations were made to the papal nuncio in London and later published in The Observer newspaper.

The 74-year-old former archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh apologised to those he had offended, to the Catholic Church and to the people of Scotland.

After the cardinal's resignation was accepted, further allegations were published by The Scotsman newspaper, which said another priest had complained last October about his "inappropriate behaviour" in 2001.

The Scotsman said the priest was believed to have written directly to Rome because he did not think he could trust the Church hierarchy in Scotland to handle the matter.

The report said news of this complaint spread inside the Church and then the other four men felt the confidence to come forward with their complaints.

The paper said the October complaint led to the Vatican contacting Cardinal O'Brien and a "deal" being brokered by Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec City for the departure of the leader of Scotland's Catholics.

In recent years Cardinal O'Brien had been a strong critic of same-sex relationships, saying they were "demonstrably harmful to the medical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of those involved".

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow, who has been appointed apostolic administrator of St Andrews and Edinburgh until a new archbishop is chosen, has said the archdiocese is in a "state of shock for the loss of its shepherd".

Sources:

The Guardian

The Scotsman

Keith O'Brien (Wikipedia)

Image: The Guardian

When British Cardinal Keith O'Brien announced his resignation Monday as a Scottish archbishop, he also said he would not do the most important task of a cardinal: vote for the next pope. But he did not take the rare step of quitting the College of Cardinals altogether.

The last five cardinals to resign or be forced out of office left for reasons ranging from health to politics to a desire to have a family, says church historian Matthew Bunson, editor of The Catholic Almanac. They were:

• French Cardinal Louis Billot (1846-1931), the only cardinal to resign in the 20th century, stepped down in 1927 in a political split. He supported a radical French nationalist movement, Action Française, which was opposed by Pope Pius XI.
• Italian Carlo Odescalchi (1785-1841) sought to leave so he could devote his life to preaching and prayer as a member of the Jesuits; Pope Gregory XVI ordered a commission of cardinals to study the matter and accepted his request in 1838.
• Italian nobleman Cardinal Marino Carafa di Belevedere (1764-1830) resigned from the college in 1807 so he could marry and maintain the line of descent for his family. He became prince of Acquaviva and married Marianna Gaetani dell'Aquila d'Aragona.
• Italian Cardinal Tommaso Antici (1731-1812) asked to leave in 1798, citing poor health and a desire to spend his last days in solitude and prayer. His resignation was accepted by Pope Pius VI.
• French Cardinal Étienne-Charles de Loménie de Brienne (1727-1794) got in political hot water with Pope Pius VI in the wake of the French Revolution. The cardinal, who had served as finance minister to King Louis XVI, accepted a civil constitution that put the Catholic Church in France under the control of the political authorities. He was repudiated by the pope and removed from the college in 1791. The revolutionaries were no happier with him: He died in prison.

Sources

• USA Today
• Image: The Guardian

The four, from the cardinal's archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, complained to apostolic nuncio Archbishop Antonio Mennini days before Pope Benedict's unexpected resignation.

The allegations were then publicised in The Observer newspaper, apparently because the complainants did not want Cardinal O'Brien to attend the conclave to elect the new pope.

While he contests the accusations, Cardinal O'Brien said he apologised to anyone he had let down and said he did not want the controversy to overshadow the election of the new pope.

Cardinal O'Brien had been due to retire on March 17, when he turns 75. His immediate resignation means the cardinal will not now take part in the election of a successor to Pope Benedict.

One complainant said he was a seminarian when the cardinal, then his spiritual director, made an inappropriate approach after night prayers.

He later resigned from the priesthood when the cardinal became a bishop. "I knew then he would always have power over me. It was assumed I left the priesthood to get married. I did not. I left to preserve my integrity."

The three priests made similar complaints, one saying he found himself dealing with unwanted behaviour after a late-night drinking session.

"You have to understand," explains the ex-priest, "the relationship between a bishop and a priest. At your ordination, you take a vow to be obedient to him.

"He's more than your boss, more than the CEO of your company. He has immense power over you. He can move you, freeze you out, bring you into the fold…he controls every aspect of your life. You can't just kick him in the balls."

Only a few days before the allegations were published, Cardinal O'Brien said the church's requirement for priests to be celibate was not of "divine origin" and should be reconsidered.

"Many priests have found it very difficult to cope with celibacy as they lived out their priesthood, and felt the need of a companion, of a woman, to whom they could get married and raise a family of their own," he told the BBC.

Sources:

The Observer

The Observer

Associated Press

BBC

Image: The Independent

Stonewall, a charity which claims 10,000 members, made the award at an annual ceremony in London in reaction to the cardinal's stance against the Scottish government's intention to legalise same-sex marriage.

In a newspaper article, Cardinal O'Brien said the proposed law represented a "grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right". He said same-sex partnerships were "harmful to the physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing of those involved".

John Deighan, the Catholic Church's parliamentary officer for Scotland, said the award to Cardinal O'Brien was an "outrage" that showed a lack of judgement. "Stonewall wants to shut down anyone who doesn't agree with them in the public discourse," he said.

The Catholic Church in Scotland called for the withdrawal of public funding for Stonewall.

While the Scottish government said it would not cut funding for the group, First Minister Alex Salmond said it was wrong to call the cardinal a bigot. "Personal insults are not conducive to a proper and dignified debate on the important issue of equality in Scotland," he said.

Two major banks that support Stonewall's awards ceremony, Barclays and Coutts, have said they will discontinue their funding if the Bigot of the Year category is not dropped.

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, who is gay, won the award of Politician of the Year, but was booed for criticising the bigot award.

"The case for equality is far better made by demonstrating the sort of generosity, tolerance and love we would wish to see more of in this world," she said.

Sources:

BBC

The Guardian

Image: DICI

These are just some of the claims made by leading human rights lawyer, Aidan O'Neill QC, in a legal opinion provided to the Catholic Church in Scotland.

Although the opinion considers the position in Scotland, it is thought it could also apply south of the border where British PM, David Cameron is also planning to change the law.

Other implications identified by the opinion include:

• foster carers could be barred from looking after children if they disagree with allowing to people of the same sex to marry
• religious groups could be banned from using public buildings over their support of traditional marriage
• clergy could be taken to court if they refuse to conduct a gay wedding
• churches might be better protected if they stopped hosting any weddings at all.

However the Church of England would be less likely to face litigation if it broke off all ties with the state, suggests O'Neill.

Mr O'Neill said legalising gay marriage is not required under the European Convention of Human Rights but case law makes it "clear" that parents who believe in "committed and faithful heterosexual sex" will have no recourse if this is done.

Scotland's government ministers had previously assured teachers would not be required to include gay marriage in their lessons, however Cardinal Keith O'Brien called the promises "hollow".

"It is clear that Scotland's schools will be banned from promoting a traditional understanding of marriage if same-sex marriage becomes law."

Cardinal O'Brien urged the Scottish government not to make promises they could not fulfil.

But Elly Barnes, LSBF schools campaigner, said,

"No diverse group can override another in terms of human rights, we all have the right to be treated fairly and equally as stated by the Equality Act 2010."

"This law is supported by our 'Equal Opportunities', 'Sex and relationship' policies and by our School Codes which are followed by all in our school communities to include staff, students, support staff and governors."

"If you believe in equality, which schools do and promote, then you believe in marriage for all."

"Young people have learnt through our school system not to discriminate, they are not born homophobic, racist, sexist, these are the negatives that outside influences 'force' upon them."

Sources

• The Christian Institute
• The Telegraph
• Image: Queer Book Recommendations

Which is just as well, because his article in yesterday's Sunday Telegraph on gay marriage, together with his rant on this morning's Today programme, has, at least in the eyes of this avowed agnostic, done about as much for the image of his Church as Len McCluskey's threat to sabotage the Olympics has done for the image of moderate trade unionism.

Until yesterday I had some sympathy for those from within the various religious communities who had concerns about proposed same-sex marriage legislation. I don't agree with them, and I support a change in the law, but nor do I ascribe to the view of some self-styled progressives that their opposition is born of latent bigotry. The Church has taken a heavy buffeting from advances in both science and social attitudes, and many people of faith have struggled, in most cases honorably, to align deeply held beliefs with the changing world around them.

They need to get themselves a better advocate than Keith O'Brien. I'll leave the theology to others. But I can't remember the last time I read a more morally and intellectually bankrupt rant from a senior member of the clergy.

O'Brien could have attempted to explain, reason and persuade. Instead, he chose to go blasting in with all the tact and subtlety of a Chicago mobster. Marriage is my turf: the rest of you better just shut up and back off. "As an institution, marriage long predates the existence of any state or government. It was not created by governments and should not be changed by them. Instead, recognising the innumerable benefits which marriage brings to society, they should act to protect and uphold marriage, not attack or dismantle it." Read more

Sources

• Dan Hodges in The Telegraph
• Image: Top News
• See also Huffington Post: English Catholics Campaign Against Gay Marriage