LONDON Britain's most senior Catholic cleric, Scotland's Cardinal Keith O'Brien, has resigned his position as archbishop of Edinburgh and St. Andrews amid allegations of "inappropriate behavior" just days before he would have taken part in the conclave to elect the next pontiff.
In a statement released by the Catholic Church in Scotland on Monday, O'Brien said Pope Benedict XVI had accepted his resignation -- which he submitted in November -- and that he would not attend the upcoming conclave at the Vatican as he did not "wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me."
"Approaching the age of seventy-five and at times in indifferent health, I tendered my resignation as Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh to Pope Benedict XVI some months ago," said O'Brien in the statement. "I was happy to know that he accepted my resignation."
The only allusion to the allegations of inappropriate behavior, which focused on his treatment of lower-ranking clerics, was a line in the statement in which O'Brien said: "For any good I have been able to do, I thank God. For any failures, I apologize to all whom I have offended."
The Vatican has said all cardinals under the age of 80 are expected to attend, barring extreme circumstances such as health problems. In his absence, a total of 115 cardinals will elect the next pope.
Reacting to O'Brien's resignation Monday, CBS News Vatican analyst Rev. Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo said the Church would need to conduct its work in a more open manner if it hopes to regain the public's trust.
"I think we certainly need openness, because what is brought to light, becomes light," said Figueiredo, who is a director at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He told CBSNews.com that there could be "no doubt that Pope Benedict was shaken" by the scandals which have engulfed the Church, and he was certain the cardinals would soon elect a new pontiff with the ability to deal with allegations of abuse inside the 2,000-year-old institution, "in a forceful way, to stop it happening again."
O'Brien was had been taking advice from lawyers after British newspaper The Observer reported that three priests and a former priest had filed complaints to the Vatican alleging that the cardinal approached them in an inappropriate manner.
The paper did not cite the names of the priests, but it said their allegations date back to the 1980s.
"Cardinal O'Brien contests these claims and is taking legal advice," Peter Kearney, a spokesman for the Scottish Catholic Church, said prior to the resignation announcement.
In the coming weeks, O'Brien, 74, had been expected to join the conclave of cardinals at the Vatican to elect the next pontiff, following Benedict's resignation announcement earlier this month. On Thursday, Benedict is to become 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.
The timing of these accusations is as revealing as their vagueness. We don't know the names of the four men making the accusations because the British newspaper behind this story, The Observer, won't release them; the details of what allegedly happened have not been disclosed (all we know are vague statements about "inappropriate" and "unwanted" contact); the four accusers waited over 30 years to come forward before coordinating their joint charges. The Lavender Mafia at work? Certainly. And they will find a willing media voice in the likes of The Observer/Guardian, desperate for an anti-Church "story." Cardinal O'Brien had gained a reputation as a hard-line conservative and opponent of gay rights. In 2009, O'Brien urged the Scottish National Party to abandon plans to give gay couples the same foster-parenting rights as straight ones. The Cardinal should sue the false accusers. Meanwhile, it's a smart move to bring his effective resignation forward to remove a petty media distraction from the coverage of the conclave. And the ultimate irony? Such nonsense will only strengthen the resolve of the Church in not yielding to the homofascists.
As an ex practising catholic I am sickened by the constant revelations emanating from this morally bankrupt organisation. These allegations are a small pinprick compared to those on Friday from Ireland "The Irish State has finally said sorry to 10,000 women and girls incarcerated in Catholic Church-run Magdalene laundries where they were treated as virtual slaves." The hypocrisy the systematic and systemic moral corruption and the resulting abuse of those most vulnerable and needy in its care is as monstrous and outrageous as it has been purely evil. I utterly reject the assertions of those who try to down play this by claiming it happens in any large organisation by a few bad individuals. No sorry no this is too widespread it is worldwide it has been found within almost every institution of the church everywhere it touches. If the Magdalene laundries was not proof that this rotten organisation needs reform and modernising with proper accountability and transparency then nothing is. Letting these select few old men continue to preside over the largest organised religious institution in the world is wrong and it has been proved to be so over and over again.
For more on the truth behind how the Magdalene laundries have been used as an anti-Catholic propaganda tool read the excellent article by Irish columnist Mary Ellen Synon. "Magdalene laundries: or how British-bred eugenics put Magdalene across the world"
crabnebula, Thank you for your question. I'll be happy to clarify. When we speak of the Catholic Church as the "Body of Christ" or more properly the "Mystical Body of Christ" we are referring to our highest understanding of the Church as a part - a literal part, mind you - of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
As Christ is the literal head of the Church, we in the Catholic Church are literally the members of his body, the Body of Christ. This was made possible by his resurrection from the dead. We also speak of the Communion of Saints as the fullness of the Catholic Church, being composed of all who are alive on earth now - the Church Militant - those who suffer in Purgatory - the Church Penitent - and those who are in Heaven with God - the Church Triumphant.
All three aspects of the Church, as the Communion of Saints, are part of the fullness of the Body of Christ. The Communion of Saints is composed of all the Angels and Saints, brought together for the great and wonderful task of worshipping God forever.
Those who are baptized into Christ in either one of the Eastern Orthodox churches or in any of the some 30,000 Protestant denominations are also a part of the Body of Christ, albeit in an imperfect and incomplete way, since they are separated from the fullness of divine revelation and from the fullness of the graces Christ gives to his Church by either schism (Eastern Orthodoxy) or heresy (Protestantism).
The question that arises from this dogma is this. Can those Christians outside of the Catholic Church be saved and can those outside of the Christian faith be saved?
The simple answer is yes, but with qualifications. The oldest formula describing this dogma is, in Latin, "extra ecclesiam nulla salus" that is, "outside of the Church there is no salvation."
This means that the Catholic Church is the "universal sacrament of salvation" and therefore all who will be saved will be saved not only through Christ and Christ alone, but only through his One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Non-Catholics and non-Christians can find salvation, but only through Out Lord's Holy Catholic Church by means that are not entirely known or understood, but are in the hands of Christ and his mercy alone.
Of course we hope and pray that all will be saved, but Hell is undoubtedly filled with the lost souls of those who spent their time on earth obstinately rejecting God, his Son and his Church.
If say a company, like Microsoft, was found to have a culture of employing, protecting and covering up for pedophiles, how long would it last? Somehow, the world has decided to give a pass to a church that behaves in this manner. Abusing children is unforgivable, but covering up for those who do is pathetic and awful. I hope they all burn in hell...but I think a federal prison would be better...
All too shabby for words. No doubt that the worst homophobia comes from closet homosexuals, who believe that the more they rail against homosexuality, the less likely they will be discovered as study after study attests: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8772014
homophobic...the fear of homosexuality or homosexuals. The vast majority of Bible believing Christians don't fear homosexuals. The reject the sexual perversion of homosexuality. They feel that homosexuals need to repent of their practicing perversions and seek professional and spiritual help to overcome their sexual addictions.
Let's face it, the Catholic Church is full of gay clerics, estimated between 23 to 58% by various studies (see below). One indication is that the rates of HIV-AIDS among priests, bishops, and cardinals is 4 times higher than the general male population. It's a perfect sanctuary for homosexual men who want a religious vocation as they no longer have to explain why they never date or marry and don't have to come out of the closet. Until they allow men to marry, the RCC will continue to be a magnet for gay religious.
The Reformation that took place over 500 years ago revealed all these sexual perversions. You should read what Martin Luther wrote about what was happenings among the priests and nuns of his day/society.
"Weeded out?" How? If anything, they continue to be protected by the power hierarchy all the way up to the Pope. Many of the victims are far too fearful to come forward, thanks to brainwashing and indoctrination. It's not "Gay priests" but pedophile priests that are ruining peoples lives. As for faith, the individual's faith, I have a feeling, will remain strong,whether the institution collapses or not. I am betting on the latter.
All the cardinals should resign. They have all been tainted by controversies that they have either caused or done nothing about. Pope tweets on real reasons for stepping down - "no one was listening to me." Read http://sorrysods.com for his full confession. See http://rationalexaminer.com for why the Church has become irrelevant.
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Cardinal O'Brien had gained a reputation as a hard-line conservative and opponent of gay rights. In 2009, O'Brien urged the Scottish National Party to abandon plans to give gay couples the same foster-parenting rights as straight ones. The Cardinal should sue the false accusers. Meanwhile, it's a smart move to bring his effective resignation forward to remove a petty media distraction from the coverage of the conclave. And the ultimate irony? Such nonsense will only strengthen the resolve of the Church in not yielding to the homofascists.
Hopefully, the Church of Rome will get it right this time around.
"Magdalene laundries: or how British-bred eugenics put Magdalene across the world"
http://synonblog.dailymail.co.uk/2013/02/magdalen-laundries-or-how-british-bred-eugenics-put-a-little-magdalen-all-around-the-world.html#comments
An equally excellent article:
"Catholic-bashers have embellished the truth about abuse in Catholic institutions. It's time to put the record straight"
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/brendanoneill2/100202781/catholic-bashers-have-embellished-the-truth-about-abuse-in-catholic-institutions-its-time-to-put-the-record-straight/#disqus_thread
Thank you for your question. I'll be happy to clarify. When we speak of the Catholic Church as the "Body of Christ" or more properly the "Mystical Body of Christ" we are referring to our highest understanding of the Church as a part - a literal part, mind you - of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
As Christ is the literal head of the Church, we in the Catholic Church are literally the members of his body, the Body of Christ. This was made possible by his resurrection from the dead.
We also speak of the Communion of Saints as the fullness of the Catholic Church, being composed of all who are alive on earth now - the Church Militant - those who suffer in Purgatory - the Church Penitent - and those who are in Heaven with God - the Church Triumphant.
All three aspects of the Church, as the Communion of Saints, are part of the fullness of the Body of Christ. The Communion of Saints is composed of all the Angels and Saints, brought together for the great and wonderful task of worshipping God forever.
Those who are baptized into Christ in either one of the Eastern Orthodox churches or in any of the some 30,000 Protestant denominations are also a part of the Body of Christ, albeit in an imperfect and incomplete way, since they are separated from the fullness of divine revelation and from the fullness of the graces Christ gives to his Church by either schism (Eastern Orthodoxy) or heresy (Protestantism).
The question that arises from this dogma is this. Can those Christians outside of the Catholic Church be saved and can those outside of the Christian faith be saved?
The simple answer is yes, but with qualifications. The oldest formula describing this dogma is, in Latin, "extra ecclesiam nulla salus" that is, "outside of the Church there is no salvation."
This means that the Catholic Church is the "universal sacrament of salvation" and therefore all who will be saved will be saved not only through Christ and Christ alone, but only through his One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Non-Catholics and non-Christians can find salvation, but only through Out Lord's Holy Catholic Church by means that are not entirely known or understood, but are in the hands of Christ and his mercy alone.
Of course we hope and pray that all will be saved, but Hell is undoubtedly filled with the lost souls of those who spent their time on earth obstinately rejecting God, his Son and his Church.
I hope I answered your question.
God bless.
http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/The-Causes-and-Context-of-Sexual-Abuse-of-Minors-by-Catholic-Priests-in-the-United-States-1950-2010.pdf