Edinburgh Cardinal Keith O'Brien attends a mass held by Pope Benedict XVI with newly appointed cardinals at the St. Peter's Basilica on November 25, 2012 in Vatican City, Vatican. /Franco Origlia/Getty Images
LONDON The Vatican is looking into allegations of "inappropriate behavior" by Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Britain's most senior Catholic cleric, officials said Sunday. The claims came at a sensitive time, as O'Brien and other cardinals prepare for a conclave to choose the next pope.
O'Brien, who heads the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, was taking advice from lawyers after British newspaper The Observer reported that three priests and a former priest have filed complaints to the Vatican alleging that the cardinal approached them in an inappropriate manner.
The investigation comes shortly after O'Brien announced that priests should be able to get married and have children.
The paper did not cite the names of the priests, but it said their allegations date back to the 1980s.
The Guardian reports that there were four complaints, delivered to the Vatican in early February. One priest alleges O'Brien inappropriate approached him after night prayers in the 1980s, and he was originally too frightened to report the incident. He eventually left priesthood when O'Brien was promoted in the mid 1980s.
"I knew then he would always have power over me," the complaint alleges, according to the Guardian. "It was assumed I left the priesthood to get married. I did not. I left to preserve my integrity."
Another said he dealt with unwanted behavior from O'Brien after a late night drinking session. A third accuses O'Brien used night prayers as an excuse for inappropriate contact.
"Cardinal O'Brien contests these claims and is taking legal advice," Peter Kearney, a spokesman for the Scottish Catholic Church, said. He declined to comment further.
A Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the complaints had been channeled through the office of the papal nuncio - the Vatican's ambassador - in London. "The pope has been informed, and the question is in his hands," Lombardi said.
In the coming weeks, O'Brien, 74, is expected to join a conclave of cardinals at the Vatican to elect the next pontiff, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict announced earlier this month that he will step down on Thursday - the first pope to resign in some 600 years.
O'Brien has not been the only cardinal to become embroiled in negative news as the papal election approaches. Across the Atlantic, thousands of people have signed a petition to keep California Cardinal Roger Mahony from the conclave because of revelations he had shielded sexually abusive priests.
Mahony has made it clear he will attend the gathering and that no one can force him to recuse himself.
In comments on the papacy made to the BBC on Friday, O'Brien said the next pope would be free to consider changing church policy on issues that were not "basic dogmatic beliefs." He said he believed that the requirement for priestly celibacy is not "of divine origin" and could be reconsidered.
O'Brien also said it was time to think seriously about having a pope from outside Europe. He said he would be "open to a pope from anywhere if I thought it was the right man, whether it was Europe or Asia or Africa or wherever."
The cardinal is due to retire when he turns 75 in March.
Several studies (see below) estimate a strong presence of homosexuals in the ranks of priests, bishops and cardinals --- between 24 to 58% (see below). The rate of AIDS/HIV is 4 times higher in the American Catholic clerics compared to the general male population.
Think about it --- if you are a gay Catholic male who is very religious, you're probably deeply conflicted about that (esp. given the RC's repressiveness about gay sex, plus probably coming from a conservative family) and thus unlikely to "come out." You also don't want a lot of questions about why you don't date or marry, so the RC priesthood where you can't marry and are surrounded by all male colleagues is the PERFECT solution. Because of the shortage of priests, you know they won't kick you out even if discovered as gay. Voila, problem solved.
By contrast, if you are a heterosexual Christian who both wants to have a religious vocation and to marry so to have a family, you'd join the ministry of any of the Christian denomination which allows marriage. Imo, until the Church allows marriage and women to join the priesthood, it's going to have a deep contingent of gay priests, bishops and cardinals
With slow and KNSN we already know it's not only confined to the church but in the secular world as well. KNSN just confessed his sin to everyone here.
Funny timing. A couple of days after he suggests that the Church could consider a married clergy, and maybe even a married female clergy - allegations come out. Coincidence, or a smear campaign against someone who broke with the old celibate men network?
Call me cynical, but I get the feeling that Cardinal Mahoney and other's who have a history of covering for homosexual and or pedophile's are desperate to make sure that the next pope will protect them and their fellow child abusers. And it also appears to me that the percentage of catholic leaders eligible to participate in the election are and have always been homosexual and or pedophile's. As others have pointed out before, this has been a problem within the Catholic Church for many centuries
Poor delusional slow. First he calls me Dan and now RCRawlings or Pope_Rawlings. Ha! Ha! Since he's and old, old Desk Colonel and one time priest he is going senile. I hear their is a picture of you out there with you and a little boy.
This is the very same Cardinal who has aggressively opposed the Gay Marriage Bill which is currently being proposed and supported by all political parties in Scotland. He has accused people with same sex attraction of being unatural, deviant and indeed a threat to society. Religious leaders are nothing but liars and hypocrites who are united in their fanatical determination to force the views of their churches onto the rest of society.
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Think about it --- if you are a gay Catholic male who is very religious, you're probably deeply conflicted about that (esp. given the RC's repressiveness about gay sex, plus probably coming from a conservative family) and thus unlikely to "come out." You also don't want a lot of questions about why you don't date or marry, so the RC priesthood where you can't marry and are surrounded by all male colleagues is the PERFECT solution. Because of the shortage of priests, you know they won't kick you out even if discovered as gay. Voila, problem solved.
By contrast, if you are a heterosexual Christian who both wants to have a religious vocation and to marry so to have a family, you'd join the ministry of any of the Christian denomination which allows marriage. Imo, until the Church allows marriage and women to join the priesthood, it's going to have a deep contingent of gay priests, bishops and cardinals
See http://americamagazine.org/node/146081
Back to the playroom for a little morsel.
Do you have something against gay people?
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Well. I have to say I dont understand your lifestyle. But I believe to each his own. Live and let live.
You should know since slow made you.
I thought you were an atheist now slow?
Old habits of the priesthood die hard eh slow?
He must be one of Dans drinking buddy minions.
Accuse other people of being pedophiles. And infer that since pedophilia is not confined to the church. It is ok for the church to do it.
Nice argument.... NOT.
KNSN just confessed his sin to everyone here.
I never belonged to a cult like you did.
That is the obvious conclusion.
First he calls me Dan and now RCRawlings or Pope_Rawlings.
Ha! Ha!
Since he's and old, old Desk Colonel and one time priest he is going senile.
I hear their is a picture of you out there with you and a little boy.
Religious leaders are nothing but liars and hypocrites who are united in their fanatical determination to force the views of their churches onto the rest of society.