SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland
Gerry Braiden
Senior reporter
Thursday 16 May 2013
THE Vatican has ordered Cardinal Keith O’Brien to leave Scotland in its first public move over the sex scandal surrounding him.
Britain’s most senior Catholic cleric stepped down from his post as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh earlier this year after several priests made allegations against him. He later admitted inappropriate sexual conduct during his church career.
In a short statement – its first in the three months since the revelations broke – the Vatican said the cardinal “will be leaving Scotland for several months for the purpose of spiritual renewal, prayer and penance”. The Church hopes this will bring a degree of closure to the scandal, with accusers said to be content with the action taken.
Despite its brevity, the statement clearly states the role of Pope Francis, claiming that “any decision regarding future arrangements for His Eminence shall be agreed with the Holy See”.
However, questions remain over Cardinal O’Brien’s future and what further action, if any, the Vatican intends to take over his admissions of gay sexual encounters over decades and allegations of abuse by a number of serving priests and former seminarians.
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