Archbishop Admits Cardinal O'Brien Scandal Has Hurt Church
By Auslan Cramb
THE credibility and moral authority of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland has been damaged by Cardinal Keith O’Brien’s admission of sexual misconduct, according to the man who has replaced him. Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, who was named temporary administrator of the Archdiocese of Edinburgh and St Andrews after the cardinal's resignation last week, said it was a sad moment for the church. The cardinal stunned Scottish Catholics on Sunday when he admitted that his sexual conduct had fallen below the standard expected of a “priest, archbishop and cardinal”. He apologised to those he offended and announced that he was retiring from public life. He is currently out of the country, and is expected to face an inquiry by the Vatican after three priests and one ex-priest accused him of attempting to “touch, kiss and have sex with people in his care” around 30 years ago. The archbishop told the evening mass at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Glasgow that “many reproaches had been aimed at the church and at individuals over this matter”. He added: “The most stinging charge which has been levelled against us in this matter is hypocrisy, and for obvious reasons. "I think there is little doubt that the credibility and moral authority of the Catholic Church in Scotland has been dealt a serious blow and we will need to come to terms with that." Archbishop Tartaglia said he would do his best to fulfil the cardinal's role until a new archbishop was appointed, and told the congregation the situation offered a chance for the church to regroup. He added: "So what can I say to offer us hope? Well, in the first place, a new Pope will be elected in the coming weeks and that will be certainly be a wonderful moment of hope and joy for the Church throughout the world." "And this sad time for the Catholic Church in Scotland will also pass. "We will endure it with prayer and patience and hope. We will not forget for a long time, but we will heal and we will carry on.” Cardinal O’Brien’s admission prompted furious allegations of hypocrisy in the church hierarchy because of his previous criticism of homosexuality, gay adoption and Scottish Government plans to legalise same-sex marriage. His downfall followed complaints from four men that they were the victims of homosexual advances by him in the 1980s. He resigned last Monday, the day after the allegations emerged, and issued his surprise statement on Sunday, when he also apologised to those he had offended, to the Catholic Church and the people of Scotland. Catherine Deveney, the journalist who broke the story in the Observer, said that she had spoken to the four men since and they were “relieved at being vindicated”. She added: “There is obvious sadness for Keith O'Brien as a man, but this wasn't about just Keith O'Brien the man, but about Keith O'Brien the cardinal. "So there is a mixture of sadness, a bit of relief they have been vindicated and I would say that there has also been a little bit of anger that it took all of this to get to where we are. "One of the individuals concerned said that to take the cardinal on as an individual himself would have been like running into a brick wall." She said the men had not been motivated by a personal vendetta, adding: “These men are spiritual men, they want to see an open and transparent Catholic Church as a result of this, they don't want to see it destroyed." Meanwhile, the Papal Nuncio in the UK, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, has refused to take questions on when the first complaints were lodged, and how many there had been. His secretary Mgr Vincent Brady said: “No comment, no comment, that’s the answer, we are not making any comment at all.”
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