Archbishop's Dismay As Keith O'brien "Crisis" Engulfed Church

By Bernard Ponsonby
STV News
June 18, 2019

https://stv.tv/news/scotland/1438573-archbishops-dismay-as-keith-obrien-crisis-engulfed-church/

The Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh has spoken candidly about the lurid revelations that led to the resignation of his predecessor Cardinal Keith O'Brien.

O'Brien resigned in 2013 after allegations of inappropriate and predatory sexual behaviour towards four men, three of whom were serving priests.

Leo Cushley, a former Vatican diplomat, said he watched with great dismay from Rome as the crisis surrounding O'Brien engulfed the Scottish catholic hierarchy.

Archbishop Cushley described the crisis as one of the greatest for the church in Scotland since the Reformation.

He told STV: "Some thought he had been traduced and he had been maltreated. Others said 'it's a disgrace and I'll never be back'."

Shortly after succeeding O'Brien, Archbishop Cushley spoke with the Pope about the crisis, agreeing that Archbishop Charles Scicluna prepare a report for the Vatican.

Cushley told STV: "Some of his (O'Brien's) rights were taken from him as a result of this process.

Keith O'Brien resigned in 2013 after allegation of inappropriate behaviour. STV

"That process seemed to me to be a question of justice to have something like that put in place."

The Archbishop rejected a charge from supporters of the cardinal, who died last year, that he had been exiled by the church.

He said: "Cardinal O'Brien remained a Cardinal until he died. He remained a cleric until he died. He was able to celebrate the sacraments until he died as a priest. His choice of where he lived was one that he came to in agreement with the Pope."

Addressing recent events surrounding the re-routing of Orange parades in Glasgow, the Archbishop was asked if Orange walks should ever pass a Catholic Church.

He said: "Objectively that shouldn't be a problem. If it is done respectfully, I don't see where the problem is.

"If it is done to taunt your neighbour that's a different question but it is difficult for me to look into the hearts of everyone who is going past a church."

He also rejected the notion that the Orange Order is anti-catholic, adding: "I see it as coming from another chapter in our history."

Cushley has worked closely with Popes Benedict and Francis., describing the former as "a reserved Bavarian gentlemen, a lovely man with a sharp sense of humour".

He added: "He is very self-contained but brilliant intellectually."

Of the current Pope, he said: "He is gregarious, he is outgoing. He will pull your leg and then you can't quite believe that the Pope is pulling your leg.

"He is also personally quite austere. He gets up early, he prays for a long time. He's interested in people, he likes people a lot. He brings a warmth to the ministry."