UNITED KINGDOM
Detroit Free Press
By Kim Hjelmgaard
USA TODAY
LONDON — The United Kingdom’s top cardinal, Keith O’Brien, is to step down, effective immediately, according to a statement published on the website of the Scottish Catholic news office.
Cardinal O’Brien, who is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland and the U.K.’s most senior Roman Catholic, was due to take part in the election of the next pope next month to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, a process known as the “conclave.’ He said in a statement that he will not attend.
He is resigning due to allegations surrounding inappropriate behavior toward priests dating from the 1980s. He contests the allegations.
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