UNITED STATES
Washington Post
By Michelle Boorstein March 20
The Vatican announced Friday that a Scottish cardinal accused of sexual misconduct will lose all the rights and privileges of that high office following his resignation — the first time a cardinal has resigned since the 1920s.
Cardinal Keith O’Brien was Britain’s senior Catholic cleric until he stepped down from his regular duties in 2013 after allegations surfaced that he had made sexual advances to a number of priests. On Friday, the Vatican announced that O’Brien would retain the title of cardinal but would not be allowed to participate in public religious events or have the rights and privileges of a cardinal, such as voting for pope.
[Past coverage: Cardinal Keith O’Brien leaves Scotland under Vatican pressure]
Reaction from clergy abuse survivors to the arrangement, which came after unusual private meetings with Pope Francis, wasn’t immediately available. It also wasn’t immediately clear Friday whether Francis demanded O’Brien’s resignation.
The Tablet, a British Catholic publication, reported Friday that a church investigator’s report on the O’Brien case was “hot enough to burn the varnish” off the pope’s desk.
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