Scottish Cardinal O'Brien Resigns As Archbishop
By Stacy Meichtry and Bruce Orwall
[with video] Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigned as Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh on Monday, saying he won't attend the coming conclave of cardinals to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI. In a statement, Cardinal O'Brien said his resignation, tendered on Feb. 18, had been accepted by the pope. The resignation comes close on the heels of a report in The Observer newspaper in the U.K. on Sunday, which detailed allegations of inappropriate behavior against Cardinal O'Brien that date back to the 1980s. Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said the pope "immediately" accepted Cardinal O'Brien's resignation in order to address the "unclear situation" before cardinals from around the world gather in Rome for the conclave. "I also ask God's blessing on my brother Cardinals who will soon gather in Rome to elect [Pope Benedict's] successor. I will not join them for this Conclave in person," the cardinal said in his statement. "I do not wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me—but rather on Pope Benedict XVI and his successor," he said. Cardinal O'Brien was already slated to leave his position, having announced his plans to retire last November, citing health reasons. He turns 75 on March 17. The Observer report said that three priests and a former priest had recently made complaints to the Vatican, via its ambassador in the U.K, about alleged actions by the cardinal over a period of years. One of the complaints, the paper said, involves a now-married man who was a seminarian at St. Andrew's College in 1980 and claims that the cardinal made an inappropriate approach. The man was ordained but later left the priesthood. Three other priests, all unnamed, made similar statements, delivered to the Vatican's ambassador in Britain, in which they described various types of inappropriate approaches by Cardinal O'Brien. Over the weekend, a spokesman for the Scottish Roman Catholic Church issued a statement saying Cardinal O'Brien "contests these claims and is taking legal advice." The cardinal, who has been in that role since 2003, has attracted attention over the years as an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage and has often raised the ire of gay-rights activists. In 2012 he publicly criticized the U.K. government coalition's proposal for legalizing same-sex marriage, calling the plans "madness" and "a grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right." Last year, U.K. gay rights group Stonewall gave Cardinal O'Brien its "Bigot of the Year" award. In response, the Scottish Catholic Church issued a statement saying the episode revealed the group's "intolerance" and called for the Scottish government to review its donations to the group because of its "intimidatory tactics." On Monday, Pope Benedict XVI modified the rules of the coming conclave, giving cardinals the leeway to vote on his successor earlier than expected. Previous rules required cardinals to wait at least 15 days to begin voting. That measure aimed to give cardinals around the world time to arrive in Rome after the death of a pope. Pope Benedict's plans to resign on Feb. 28, however, have been public for two weeks, and many cardinals have already converged on Rome. Under the new rules, the College of Cardinals can agree to drop the 15-day requirement "if certain all the cardinals will be present," the pope wrote. Vatican officials said a date for the conclave cannot be set until the pope leaves office, handing power over the voting process to cardinals. Contact: stacy.meichtry@wsj.com
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