O'Brien, um cardeal que pecou

By John L. Allen Jr. Associate editor, Crux | March 20, 2015 A Scottish cardinal who stepped down as an archbishop in 2013 amid revelations of sexual misconduct now has renounced his rights and privileges as a cardinal, although he will retain the title, the Vatican announced Friday. Though not quite unprecedented, the specter of a Catholic prelate all but losing his privileges as a member of the College of Cardinals is exceedingly rare, with the last such case coming in 1927. Cardinal Keith O’Brien, 77, originally quit his post as archbishop in February 2013 following accusations published in Scotland’s The Observer that he had engaged in sexual relations with four men, three priests at the time and one former priest, dating back to the 1980s. One of the men, who was not identified in the newspaper reports, alleged that the degree of control a superior has over subordinate priests made it hard for him to refuse O’Brien’s demands. “He [the bishop] has immense power over you. He can move you, freeze you out, bring you into the fold … he controls every aspect of your life,” the priest was quoted as saying. According to the report, one of those men quit the priesthood when O’Brien was made a bishop in 1985, fearing that O’Brien would be able to exercise power over his career. One of the four men also claimed to have made a report to the papal ambassador in the United Kingdom, but to no effect. After initially contesting the charges, O’Brien eventually acknowledged that at times his sexual behavior had “fallen beneath the standards expected of [him]” and announced his resignation as well as his withdrawal from the conclave in March 2013 that elected Pope Francis. O’Brien said at the time that he would be undertaking a period of prayer and reflection, and has not taken part in public activity since. Friday’s Vatican statement indicated that O’Brien is now making his withdrawal complete, in effect stepping down as a cardinal.