Cardinal Keith O'Brien Faces Vatican Inquiry over Misconduct Claims

By Peter Walker and Severin Carrell
The Guardian
March 4, 2013

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/04/cardinal-keith-obrien-vatican-inquiry

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, whose statement said: 'My sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal.'

The former head of the Catholic church in England and Wales has rejected the idea of significant reforms in the wake of Cardinal Keith O'Brien's confession of sexual misconduct – actions for which O'Brien is expected to face a Vatican inquiry despite his resignation.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, who stepped down as Archbishop of Westminster in 2009, insisted that issues such as O'Brien's behaviour and the abuse of children by other Catholic clergy was due to the weakness of individuals rather than any structural or institutional failings by the church.

Asked in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today's programme if O'Brien's apparent hypocrisy – he was a strong opponent of gay rights before being accused of by three serving priests and a former priest of "inappropriate acts" towards them – showed the need for significant changes in the church, involving women as well as men, O'Connor replied: "That's very strong words. The church is composed of saints and sinners and every time things have gone wrong in the church … there's always been a reform, and that's been carried out by men and by women."

He added: "To say there's always been corruption in the church – there's always been sinners in the church but there's always been saints."

The church, he said, was no more intrinsically corrupt than other institutions: "In society today there are those kind of things which are wrong and from which people need to repent. But sometimes it's just the weakness of individual and the wrong that they do. To say this is all in the church is wrong."

He said: "I've lived my life as part of the hierarchy, as a priest and a bishop, and I've met hundreds [of others] … The vast majority of priests and bishops are good and faithful men."

In a brief but significant statement released late on Sunday, O'Brien, 74, said: "There have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal." The former archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, until recently the most senior Catholic in Britain, apologised and asked for forgiveness from those he had "offended" and from the entire church.

According to the BBC, O'Brien is likely to face a Vatican inquiry following the admission. This is unlikely to begin until after a new pope is chosen, and the results might not be made public.

O'Brien was forced to resign last week by Pope Benedict XVI, barely 36 hours after the Observer disclosed the allegations. The cardinal initially contested the claims, with his officials saying he was taking legal advice.

He has now effectively admitted he breached the church's strict rules on celibacy and its bar on homosexuality since he became a priest – and during his 10 years as a cardinal. It was alleged that some of these incidents were "drunken fumblings". One case reported by the Observer involved repeated sexual contact.

Speaking from Rome where he is involved in the discussions over a pope to replace Benedict, although at 80 he is too old to vote, O'Connor said the church did not need a reformer as its new head, rather "a spiritual man" and "a man of governance".

Cases such as that of O'Brien or priests who abused children did not diminish the overall authority of the church, he argued: "It doesn't come from therm. It come from the Lord."

Of O'Brien's case, he added: "I think that's clearly very sad, and the person involved has apologised, and is now going to leave public life, as and a priest and a bishop. Firstly, my thoughts and my prayers are with everybody concerned."

Following the exposure of widescale child abuse and its subsequent cover-up, he said: "The leadership of the church has been on a learning curve" and measures were in place to protect victims.

Even cases such as that of O'Brien did not justify structural reforms, O'Connor said. "Always there is reform. But I prefer the word good governance than reform."

He said: "As the church goes through history … it develops, it faces new challenges and new opportunities and also has to face new questions and it has to do so and will do so. To say that you've just got to change everything, I just don't agree."