Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien apologized on Sunday for "sexual conduct" unbefitting a priest and said he would play no further role in the public life of the Catholic Church.
The apology followed his abrupt resignation last week as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh after allegations surfaced that he had inappropriate relations with seminarians stretching back to the 1980s.
Cardinal O'Brien initially contested those allegations and had said he was seeking legal advice. But in a statement Sunday he said: "In recent days certain allegations which have been made against me have become public. Initially, their anonymous and nonspecific nature led me to contest them. However, I wish to take this opportunity to admit that there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal."
He added: "To those I have offended, I apologize and ask forgiveness...I will play no further part in the public life of the Catholic Church in Scotland."
No further comments by me, well one, I think this is perhaps the "tip of an iceberg" and one small incident that caused the Pope to resign. He felt that in doing so there will be a "housecleaning" because of a potentially explosive report concerning the discovery of a network of gay prelates in the Vatican, some of whom – the report said – were being blackmailed by outsiders, and other potential disclosures.
