SCOTLAND
Scotland on Sunday
by CRAIG BROWN
Published on the 16 September 2013
THE prospect of disgraced Cardinal Keith O’Brien being forced to remain in exile outside of Scotland is tantamount to “ongoing punishment” by the Catholic Church, independent MSP Margo MacDonald has said.
Her comments follow an interview with the former archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh’s successor, Monsignor Leo Cushley, in which he said that it was “unlikely” that Cardinal O’Brien would return to Scotland.
The veteran Vatican diplomat, who will be installed as archbishop later this week, said: “For the sake of the peace, it would probably be better form not to come back to Scotland.”
He said that whilst “it was not impossible” for the cardinal to return, he thought it “somewhat unlikely”, adding: “There would be a number of reasons for that, and looking around myself, I think it would probably be wiser and more helpful for the future of the Church here if he were not to be back in the country.”
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