Pope appoints Cardinal O’Brien’s successor

SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland

Pope Benedict XVI has announced that the Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia will take over the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh following the resignation of Cardinal Keith O’Brien.

Archbishop Tartaglia will act as Apostolic Administrator and govern the archdiocese until a new Archbishop is appointed.

He said: “These are painful and distressing times for the Archdiocese, I also feel pained and distressed. With the grace of God, I will do my very best to oversee and govern the Archdiocese until the appointment of a new Archbishop. I ask for your prayers.”

Cardinal O’Brien announced that he was stepping down with immediate effect on Monday in the wake of allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards young priests.

He had been due to formally submit his resignation in three weeks, but stood down with immediate effect after weekend revelations he was being investigated for the claims, which date back 30 years and relate to three priests and a former priest.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.