UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian
Peter Walker and Severin Carrell
guardian.co.uk, Monday 4 March 2013
The former head of the Catholic church in England and Wales has rejected the idea of significant reforms in the wake of Cardinal Keith O’Brien’s confession of sexual misconduct – actions for which O’Brien is expected to face a Vatican inquiry despite his resignation.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, who stepped down as Archbishop of Westminster in 2009, insisted that issues such as O’Brien’s behaviour and the abuse of children by other Catholic clergy was due to the weakness of individuals rather than any structural or institutional failings by the church.
Asked in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today’s programme if O’Brien’s apparent hypocrisy – he was a strong opponent of gay rights before being accused of by three serving priests and a former priest of “inappropriate acts” towards them – showed the need for significant changes in the church, involving women as well as men, O’Connor replied: “That’s very strong words. The church is composed of saints and sinners and every time things have gone wrong in the church … there’s always been a reform, and that’s been carried out by men and by women.”
He added: “To say there’s always been corruption in the church – there’s always been sinners in the church but there’s always been saints.”
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