Archbishop: Cardinal Keith O'brien's Exile Not an "Ongoing Punishment"

STV
September 17, 2013

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/239876-archbishop-cardinal-keith-obriens-exile-not-an-ongoing-punishment/

Mgr Cushley: The new Archbishop will be ordained on Saturday.

The man who will take over from disgraced Cardinal Keith O’Brien has dismissed claims his exile from Scotland is an "ongoing punishment".

Monsignor Leo Cushley was named as the Cardinal’s replacement as the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh in July and will be ordained on Saturday.

Cardinal O’Brien stood down at the end of February amid allegations of "inappropriate behaviour". He has since left Scotland for "spiritual renewal, prayer and penance" after discussion with the Vatican.

MSP Margo MacDonald, a friend of the Cardinal, told the Scotsman his exile was an unfair “ongoing punishment”.

But speaking to STV on Tuesday, Mgr Cushley said it was the best decision for the Cardinal considering the reception he would be likely to get if he returned.

He said: "It’s not an ongoing punishment, I don’t think we can characterise it that way. If we were to look at his life from the point of view of a friend like Margo MacDonald and see him coming back here – can you imagine what kind of life he would have in Scotland?

"I don’t think that would be a great way of life, I can’t imagine how that would be a good thing for him.

"It’s not really a question of exile; I think that puts it much too strongly. His time of prayer and penance is continuing. I don’t know when that will finish. It will be up to the Holy See to decide when that will come to an end and to decide what will happen to him.

"But then there was the question; should he come north of the border, should he go somewhere else, should he go to a completely different country?

"I thought that really, given the circumstances, it would be best for him, it would be best for those who have been involved in this, and for the local church as a whole, if he were to consider not coming back to Scotland."