Skip to main content
CNN

Scotland's archbishop contests "inappropriate behavior" claim

By Matt Smith, CNN
updated 5:20 AM EST, Mon February 25, 2013
Cardinal Keith O'Brien contests the claims against him
Cardinal Keith O'Brien contests the claims against him "and is seeking legal advice," the Scottish Catholic Media Office told CNN.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Cardinal Keith O'Brien is accused of "inappropriate behavior" with priests
  • O'Brien "contests these claims and is taking legal advice," his archdiocese says
  • Pope Benedict XVI has been informed of the allegations, a Vatican spokesman says

(CNN) -- Scotland's Roman Catholic archbishop is contesting accusations of "inappropriate behavior" with priests, claims leveled as Cardinal Keith O'Brien prepares to join the conclave that will choose a new pope.

British newspaper The Observer reported Sunday that three priests and one former priest have leveled allegations against O'Brien that date back 30 years. The Observer did not recount details of the claims or identify any of O'Brien's accusers, but said one of the priests alleged "that the cardinal developed an inappropriate relationship with him."

O'Brien did not attend Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh on Sunday, but the Scottish Catholic Media Office told CNN that the cardinal "contests these claims and is taking legal advice."

Pope delivers final Angelus prayer
Vatican denies 'false news reports'
Key moments in pope's resignation
Rumors swirl around pope's resignation

His accusers took their complaints to the Vatican representative in Britain and demanded O'Brien's resignation, The Observer reported. At the Vatican, Father Federico Lombardi, a spokesman for the church, told reporters that Pope Benedict XVI has been informed of the allegations.

The Irish-born O'Brien is scheduled to retire on St. Patrick's Day, his 75th birthday. But in a message to the Archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh last Sunday, he said he expected to take part as the College of Cardinals gathers in Rome to pick a successor to Benedict, who has led the worldwide church since 2005.

The accusations against O'Brien follow a buzz in Italian media about claims that gay clergy may have made themselves vulnerable to blackmail by male prostitutes, setting off speculation that a brewing scandal may have triggered Benedict's resignation. The Vatican vehemently denied the allegations Saturday, with Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone criticizing a rash of "often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories" as the cardinals prepare for their conclave.

Benedict announced his resignation on February 11, saying that at 85, he was too weak to continue his duties. He leaves the papacy on Thursday, becoming the first pope to step down since 1415.

CNN's Hada Messia and Per Nyberg contributed to this report.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
CNN Recommends
updated 1:14 PM EDT, Tue May 21, 2013
Did you know that hurricanes can also produce tornadoes? Read facts you didn't know about destructive twisters.
updated 11:51 AM EDT, Tue May 21, 2013
Ten years later, acid attack victim Sonali Mukherjee still fights for justice and appeared on India's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" to pay for treatment.
updated 2:39 PM EDT, Mon May 20, 2013
In desperate need of life-saving surgery, a four-year-old girl with a heart condition was forced to flee her war-torn home of Syria.
Just three years ago, Myanmar was being brutally led by one of the world's most repressive military regimes; today, it is a fledgling democracy.
updated 10:09 AM EDT, Mon May 20, 2013
Daycare, hour-long lunch breaks, free medicine? Not all of Bangladesh's factories are sweatshops, but many fear the crisis will hit them hard.
updated 12:39 PM EDT, Mon May 20, 2013
No solutions to the violence and total confusion is no longer just news, but a terrifying daily reality. Has Nigeria descended into civil war?
updated 6:54 AM EDT, Tue May 21, 2013
A microscope slide with a trace of the late Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi's blood is up for auction in England.
updated 6:32 AM EDT, Tue May 21, 2013
No longer grounded for battery problems, United's Dreamliner 787 Flight 1 sped down a Houston runway, en route to Chicago O'Hare.
updated 9:08 AM EDT, Tue May 21, 2013
Consumer Reports has run all its tests, kicked the phone's tires, and named one Android-powered mobile as its top rated smartphone.
updated 6:12 AM EDT, Tue May 21, 2013
AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli gets personal with CNN's Pedro Pinto in this quickfire interview.
updated 11:46 PM EDT, Mon May 20, 2013
A 73-year-old practitioner says the first English kung fu manual will help save the martial art -- which has more foreign practitioners -- from extinction.
updated 9:54 AM EDT, Fri May 17, 2013
Anthony Bourdain discovers an American style, fast-food chicken restaurant that opened in Libya after the revolution -- and became an instant hit.
A growing number of Chinese couples are opting for fantasy pre-wedding photography, with a price tag ranging from $500 to $20,000.
updated 7:15 AM EDT, Tue May 21, 2013
Increasingly, "Jeeves" and his ilk are as likely to be found managing a palace in Saudi Arabia as a manor in England.
ADVERTISEMENT