Pope Francis has accepted the decision of the former leader of the Roman Catholic church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, to step down from clerical duties over allegations of sexual misconduct.

O’Brien will retain his title, but he will be reduced to a strictly private life. The resignation followed the decision by the pope to send a personal envoy, archbishop Charles Scicluna, to Scotland last year to investigate the allegations.

Francis reached his decision based on the inquiry. Its contents are fully known only to the pontiff and Scicluna. O’Brien’s decision followed a private discussion with the pope.

“I wish to repeat the apology which I made to the Catholic church and the people of Scotland some two years ago now on 3 March 2013,” O’Brien said in a statement. “I then said that there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me. For that I am deeply sorry.

“I thank Pope Francis for his fatherly care of me and of those I have offended in any way. I will continue to play no part in the public life of the Church in Scotland; and will dedicate the rest of my life in retirement, praying especially for the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, for Scotland, and for those I have offended in any way.”

O’Brien resigned as archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh in 2013 amid allegations published in the Observer of sexual impropriety made by three priests and one former priest. O’Brien was Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic cleric at the time, and he was ordered by the Vatican to spend a period of time in “prayer and penance”.

A year ago, one of the men appealed directly to Pope Francis to intervene, describing the church as a “formidable machine” and accusing officials of having “passed the buck, misrepresented the truth, engaged in coverup and … shamelessly procrastinated”.



“I want to ask Pope Francis can you sort this out,” the man told the Observer.

O’Brien, who was due to retire in March 2013, was an outspoken opponent of gay rights. He condemned homosexuality as immoral, opposed gay adoption, and argued that same-sex marriages would be “harmful to the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of those involved”. In 2012, he was named bigot of the year by the gay rights charity Stonewall.

It is understood that the first allegation against the cardinal dates back to 1980. The complainant was then a 20-year-old seminarian at St Andrew’s College, Drygrange, where O’Brien was his “spiritual director”.

O’Brien’s successor as archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Leo Cushley, said: “I am confident that the decision of the Holy Father is fair, equitable and proportionate. Cardinal O’Brien’s behaviour distressed many, demoralised faithful Catholics and made the church less credible to those who are not Catholic.

“I therefore acknowledge and welcome his apology to those affected by his behaviour and also to the people of Scotland, especially the Catholic community.

“For my own part, I would like to express sorrow and regret to those most distressed by the actions of my predecessor.

I also pay tribute to those who had the courage to come forward to speak to Archbishop Scicluna.

“I hope now that all of us affected by this sad and regrettable episode will embrace a spirit of forgiveness, the only spirit that can heal any bitterness and hurt that still remains.”