Cardinal Keith O'Brien's Resignation: Hiding the Truth Would Be a Sin
Daily Record
THE shock exit of Britain's most senior Roman Catholic has left the entire church reeling. IT has been a tumultuous fortnight for Scotland’s Roman Catholic community. Having just absorbed the resignation of the Pope, communicants now have to deal with the swift departure of Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic. The Church is bereft of spiritual leadership and plunged into self-doubt by the allegations against O’Brien. But the hasty resignation of the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh has left the whole of civic society gasping for breath. In the high office he held, O’Brien commanded the attention of Scotland and beyond, if not always everyone's respect. Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigns as head of Catholic Church in Scotland with immediate effect following allegations of misconduct dating back 30 years His outspoken and trenchant views did not always chime with secular society. On the iniquities of poverty and the injustice of war, he found a strong echo for his voice. On other issues – contraceptives to prevent AIDS, gay marriage and the right to choose abortion – his teaching went against the grain of modern life. He divided opinion, having ardent fans and implacable opponents, and, whatever his failings, he had the courage of his convictions. In what is a largely secular society, many still look to the Church for the kind of moral leadership that is absent from public life. But when the church leadership loses its footing, the effects can be devastating. And for O’Brien, it could be a very big fall. While he denies the serious allegations made against him, O’Brien’s swift departure and his general apology for failing in his ministry are no doubt designed to avoid further damage to the Church in Scotland. Some will see him as a victim of a conspiracy. Others will see the circumstances of his going as an opportunity for the Church to begin healing itself under a new pope. If he had gone to Rome, he would have been the third cardinal at the conclave to choose the replacement for Pope Benedict under the shadow of a scandal in his bishopry. The cardinals of New York and Los Angeles travel to the Vatican facing questions over how they handled allegations of sexual misconduct among their priests. The coming days could see an innocent man smeared or the downfall of a hollow pillar of society. Once again public opinion will be divided but right now, Catholics, other Christians, agnostics and non-believers cannot be expected to feel anything other than shock. No one could see this coming. Cover-up kills It is often not the crime but the cover-up that is the sin in politics. Most of the Westminster village had heard allegations about former Lib Dem chief executive Lord Rennard, so why did Nick Clegg maintain he knew nothing when the claims were made public last week? He had to admit he knew something, though not the specifics, and from there the whiff of cover-up became too strong to ignore. Here was Rennard, a powerful, election-winning official who turned the Lib Dems from sandal-wearers into a marching army. The claims of the women he is said to have harassed were heard by Jo Swinson and Danny Alexander, now two of the party’s brightest Scottish lights. What they did and said, and what Clegg did and said, about these claims is still unclear. Taking the allegations seriously earlier might not have left Clegg so under threat on the eve of a do-or-die by-election.
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