Attendees hear disgraced cardinal asked for ‘forgiveness for all I have offended in this life’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the disgraced former head of the Roman Catholic church in Scotland who died last month, asked in his will for forgiveness from those he offended.

Mourners at his funeral were told by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, who led the service, that O’Brien wrote in his last will and testament, “I ask for forgiveness for all I have offended in this life”.



O’Brien died in hospital in Newcastle following a fall which caused a head injury and a broken collar bone. He received the last rites on his 80th birthday.



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He was forced to resign as archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh in February 2013 after serious allegations of sexual misconduct emerged following an investigation by the Observer.

Three priests and a former priest accused him of improper sexual conduct in relation to a series of incidents in the 1980s.

At the time he was the most senior Catholic figure in the UK, and had publicly campaigned against gay marriage and gay rights, which led to him being named “bigot of the year” by the LGBT rights organisation Stonewall in 2012.

The cardinal initially denied the allegations against him, but offered his resignation to Pope Francis within days.

“My sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal,” O’Brien said at the time.

“I have valued the opportunity of serving the people of Scotland and overseas in various ways since becoming a priest. Looking back over my years of ministry, for any good I have been able to do, I thank God. For any failures, I apologise to all whom I have offended.”

Following the claims being made public, O’Brien retained his title as cardinal despite his misconduct. He moved first to Ireland, then to Northumberland, before settling in Newcastle.

Among 200 mourners at a requiem mass in St Michael’s church in Newcastle were archbishop Edward Adams, the papal nuncio, or envoy, and about 40 priests and nuns.

In his funeral homily, Cardinal Nichols said: “In recent days, as we all know, the life of Cardinal Keith has been laid bare.

“We all know its lights and its darkness and we need not spend time talking about them even more because he himself gave us the key words to keep in mind.

“In his last will and testament he wrote: ‘I ask for forgiveness of all I have offended in this life. I thank God for the many graces and blessings He has given me especially the Sacrament of Holy Orders’.

Cardinal Nichols added: “These are the words that guide us as we pray for the repose of his soul, and we also pray for all those he offended and ask God to strengthen them at this time too.”

As well as having failings, Cardinal Nichols said there was “great goodness” in O’Brien’s life, not least his determination to help the poor.

O’Brien will be buried on Friday at Mount Vernon cemetery in Edinburgh in the grave of his mother and father, in accordance with his own wishes.