VATICAN CITY
Washington Post
By David Gibson| Religion News Service, Updated: Wednesday, May 15
The Vatican on Wednesday (May 15) said that Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien will do penance in an undisclosed location outside of his country following his resignation in February amid reports that he had made sexual advances to a number of priests.
The move is an abrupt change of plans for O’Brien, and apparently came under pressure from Pope Francis, who on Wednesday also delivered a sermon that blasted bishops and priests who “become wolves and not shepherds.”
While the pope’s homily focused on the temptations of money, “careerism” and “vanity,” the dual developments reflected Francis’ well-known disdain for clericalism, and prompted speculation that the new pope might take a harder line against misbehaving bishops.
O’Brien, a vocal opponent of gay rights, stepped down as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh when reports of his sexual advances and affairs emerged in late February; a week later he apologized and admitted that “there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal.”
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