Catholic Church Must Accept Charges of Hypocrisy, Admits Official Spokesman

Daily Record
March 11, 2013

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/catholic-church-must-accept-charges-1755813

Cardinal Keith O'Brien

Peter Kearney of the Scottish Catholic media office

PETER KEARNEY also claimed the Church have failed to support people struggling with their sexuality in a strongly-worded criticism of the scandal.

THE Catholic Church in Scotland have been rightly accused of hypocrisy, their official spokesman admitted yesterday.

And the Church have failed to support people struggling with their sexuality, Peter Kearney, director of the Scottish Catholic media office, said in the most frank comments by a Church official yet about the downfall of Cardinal Keith O’Brien.

After a gruelling fortnight for the Church, which saw O’Brien, their most senior cleric, admit sexual misconduct, Kearney admitted the Church rightly faced charges of being hypocritical.

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia – who replaced O’Brien – said last week the Church had been accused of hypocrisy “for obvious reasons”.

Kearney said: “I think hypocrisy – as Archbishop Tartaglia described it – is the stinging charge but it’s probably the most accurate charge to make, under these circumstances.”

O’Brien had been an outspoken critic of gay rights and had denounced same-sex marriage. But Kearney said we were all “flawed, fallible human beings”, adding: “Everyone fails in one way or another, or at one time or another.”

Kearney spoke to Ricky Ross on Radio Scotland yesterday as the Church struggled to come to terms with allegations of inappropriate conduct levelled against O’Brien by three serving priests and one former priest.

Kearney said: “If there’s an area where the Church hasn’t been seen – frankly because it’s not present – it’s in that area of compassionate, pastoral outreach to people who are struggling with same-sex attraction, or they’re confused about it and would love the chance to talk to someone in a compassionate, pastoral context.

“If you’ve got a drug, or alcohol problem, or homelessness, then we seem to be able to step in and offer you support, help and options.

“But when it comes to human sexuality, it just isn’t there at the moment.”