Britain's Top Catholic Cardinal O'Brien Admits His 'Sexual Conduct Fell Well below the Standards Expected of a Priest and Archbishop' As He Sends Himself into Retreat
By Sam Webb and Alex Gore
[with video] The cleric apologised to those he has 'offended' and asked for forgiveness In a shock statement, Cardinal O’Brien effectively admitted that allegations that he made homosexual approaches to young trainee priests were true. Until a week ago Cardinal O’Brien, 74, had been preparing to help choose the next Pope. But last night he admitted his ‘sexual conduct’ had ‘fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal’. He said sorry and added that he was retiring from public life. The former archbishop will face a Vatican investigation into his behaviour and could be subjected to further punishment if evidence of wrongdoing is found. His admission left the Roman Catholic church in both England and Scotland in deep crisis over sexual standards and apparent hypocrisy on the part of its most senior priest. It meant the troubles in the church in this country will be at the heart of the disputes in Rome as the 115 most senior cardinals begin the process of picking the new Pope. The conclave – which does not now include any representative from Britain – will have to cope with both the fallout from years of sex-abuse allegations and the dramatic new evidence that even the most senior Roman Catholics do not always practise what they preach. The allegations against Cardinal O’Brien, made public eight days ago, came from three priests and a former priest, who complained to the Vatican’s representative in Britain, Papal Nuncio Archbishop Antonio Mennini. The force of the complaints became apparent last Monday when Pope Benedict XVI ordered Cardinal O’Brien to retire immediately. The cardinal, who had offered his retirement to the Pope in advance of his 75th birthday this month, obeyed the instruction and offered an apology ‘to all whom I have offended’. Yesterday’s statement said: ‘In recent days certain allegations which have been made against me have become public. Initially, their anonymous and non-specific nature led me to contest them. ‘However, I wish to take this opportunity to admit that there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal.’ He added: ‘To those I have offended, I apologise and ask forgiveness. To the Catholic Church and people of Scotland, I also apologise. I will now spend the rest of my life in retirement. I will play no further part in the public life of the Catholic Church in Scotland.' If, as is likely, the Church launches an inquiry into the allegations, it will be conducted at the Vatican under the aegis of the new Pope, rather than by Scottish officials. The investigation's findings might never be made public. Three of the four men who complained about Cardinal O’Brien’s behaviour are still priests in the diocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, where until last Monday, the cardinal was archbishop. The church in Scotland is now under the temporary leadership of Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia, who does not hold the rank of cardinal and so cannot take Cardinal O’Brien’s place in the papal conclave. No English cleric is qualified to join the conclave. In the Observer, which first reported the story last week, the former priest who made the accusations and remains anonymous, today said he had been 'disappointed' by the church's reaction. He said: 'There have been two sensations for me this week. One is feeling the hot breath of the media on the back of my neck and the other is sensing the cold disapproval of the church hierarchy for daring to break ranks. I feel like if they could crush me, they would. 'The vacuum the church has created has allowed whimsy and speculation to distort the truth, and the only support I have been offered is a cursory email with a couple of telephone numbers of counsellors hundreds of miles away from me.' The former clergyman claimed that when he was a seminarian at St Andrew's College, Drygrange, in 1980, Cardinal O'Brien made an inappropriate approach to him after night prayers. Another priest said the Cardinal visited him at his parish and that inappropriate contact took place between them, while a third complainant alleged that he was subjected to 'unwanted behaviour' from the cleric in the 1980s after some late-night drinking. The cardinal has also been accused by another member of the clergy of using night prayers as an excuse for inappropriate contact. After stepping down, Cardinal O'Brien became Archbishop Emeritus of St Andrews and Edinburgh but had no role in the governance of the diocese. The Scottish Catholic Media Office made no comment today, but last week its director Peter Kearney said the Cardinal's resignation had not been accelerated because of the allegations. He said: 'The timing is very unfortunate and it does appear as if one has followed the other, which in terms of chronology one has followed the other, but that's not the same as saying one caused the other. 'When it comes to responding to the allegations I think what he will do is act on his legal advice, and the legal advice at the moment would be to not publicly engage with the detail as it stands of the allegations.' Another priest has called for the Catholic Church in Scotland to be more open in dealing with complaints. Father John Robinson said: 'If the Catholic Church in Scotland is to heal itself, we need transparency and understanding. 'We need to learn lessons from the mistakes we have made in the past and move on to become a more loving and understanding church which does not condemn victims or even abusers.' Cardinal O’Brien’s apology follows growing controversy over his leadership in recent weeks. The vehemence of his public stand against same-sex marriage led to condemnation by the gay lobby. However, in a surprise move just a day before the sex scandal broke, he upset traditionalists by calling for priests to be given the right to marry. Senior church figures are expected to go at 75, but the Vatican often allows leeway of a year or two. Following news of the sex scandal over the weekend, the Pope gave Cardinal O’Brien no choice. ‘The Holy Father has now decided that my resignation will take effect today, 25 February 2013, and that he will appoint an Apostolic Administrator to govern the Archdiocese in my place until my successor is appointed,’ Cardinal O’Brien said. The Cardinal said in his statement: ‘I thank Pope Benedict XVI for his kindness and courtesy to me and…I wish him a long and happy retirement. ‘I also ask God’s blessing on my brother Cardinals who will soon gather in Rome to elect his successor. I will not join them for this conclave. I do not wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me – but rather on Pope Benedict XVI and on his successor.’ Speaking on today's Radio 4 programme, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the former Archbishop of Westminster, said: 'It is clearly very sad. The person involved has apologised. He is now going to leave public life. For me my thoughts and prayers are with everyone. 'The church has been on a learning curve. It has made quite sure that in the future there will be transparency and that procedures are put in place for safeguarding children. 'There has always been sinners in the church but there has always been saints. The fact it hasn't failed indefectibly says something about the mystery of the church. 'In society today there are things that are wrong and for which people need to repent. Sometimes it is the weakness of an individual. 'The vast majority of priests and bishops are good and faithful men who are faithful to what they do, to what they preach and their way of life. 'To say that this has sort of infected everywhere is just not true.' 'In regards to child protection the church itself has ensured if there are allegations made they are dealt with severely and transparently. 'As the church goes through history it develops and faces new challenges and new questions and has to do so. But to change everything, I just don't agree.'
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