Scotland's Cardinal O'Brien Denies Allegations of " Inappropriate Behavior"

By Gerard O’connell
Vatican Insider
February 24, 2013

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/conclave-conclave-conclave-22624/

Keith O'Brien

[UK's top cardinal accused of 'inappropriate acts' by priests - The Observer]

Scotland’s Cardinal Keith O’Brien has denied allegations that he engaged in “inappropriate behavior” with three priests and a former-priests some 30 years ago.  

His fellow British cardinal and friend, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor stated this on the BBC on Sunday morning, February 24. He said “The cardinal has denied these allegations”, and expressed sadness at this news. 

The Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi told journalists, “The Pope has been informed of these allegations, and the problem is now in his hands.”

The allegations have been transmitted to the Vatican according to The Observer, a British Sunday daily which broke the news on February 24. It reported that “three priests and a former priest in Scotland” have reported Cardinal O'Brien to the Vatican alleging instances of “inappropriate behavior stretching back 30 years.”

All four are from the diocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh in Scotland, it said, and they had lodged their complaints with the papal nuncio to the UK, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, a week before Pope Benedict announced his resignation on February 11. They have now “demanded O'Brien's immediate resignation”. 

A spokesman for O’Brien said the cardinal “contested” the allegations and has taken legal advice, the paper stated. 

The Observer reported that the four – whose names have not been disclosed - had made the story known because “they feared that if O'Brien travels to the forthcoming papal conclave to elect a new pope, the church will not fully address their complaints.”

The British paper reported that the four complainants had asked a senior figure in the diocese to act as their representative to the nuncio's office.  It said the nuncio replied through this representative, in emails seen by the Observer, and said he appreciated their courage.

It is understood that the first allegation against the cardinal dates back to 1980, the paper said. The complainant, who is now married, was then a 20-year-old seminarian at St Andrew's College, Drygrange, where O'Brien was his "spiritual director".  According to the Observer he claims O'Brien made an inappropriate approach after night prayers. He claims that as a seminarian he was too frightened to report the incident, but says his personality changed afterwards, and his teachers regularly noted that he seemed depressed. He was ordained, but he told the nuncio in his statement that he resigned when O'Brien was promoted to bishop. "I knew then he would always have power over me. It was assumed I left the priesthood to get married. I did not. I left to preserve my integrity”.

According to the Observer, one of the three men who are still priests claims he was happy in his parish when he was visited by O'Brien and inappropriate contact between the two took place. A second priest claims he was beginning his ministry in the 1980s when he was invited to spend a week at the archbishop's residence where, he alleges, he had to deal with “unwanted behavior by the cardinal after a late-night drinking session”.  The third complainant claims he was being counseled as a young priest by the cardinal but alleges that he was subjected to “inappropriate contact” after night prayers.

Cardinal  O'Brien, who is due to retire next month on reaching the age of 75,  has been an outspoken opponent of gay rights, condemning homosexuality as immoral, opposing gay adoption, and most recently arguing that same-sex marriages would be "harmful to the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of those involved", the British paper stated.

The Observer said that all four have been reluctant to raise their concerns in public, but they are concerned that the church will ignore their complaints, and they want the conclave electing the new pope to be "clean".  

It is clear that they have made their story known in an attempt to prevent Cardinal O’Brien from participating in the conclave to elect the next Pope. But, according to canon law, no cardinal who is eligible to vote can be prevented from doing so.