The return of Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien to Scotland has for many
Catholics rubbed salt into the wound, two months after his admission of
sexual misdemeanours and abrupt departure from office weeks before
reaching the official retirement age of 75.
According to this
narrative, the cardinal heaped scandal on the Scottish Church and the
best thing he could do now is to disappear without trace.
After all the
hurt and embarrassment he has caused, it is easy to understand why some
might resent the cardinal continuing with his plans to retire quietly to
a church-owned house in the East Lothian seaside town of Dunbar.
It has been reported that the Vatican itself has told the cardinal to
leave Scotland and that 'church leaders' want him to stay out of public
life.
However, Bishop Stephen Robson, an auxiliary of St Andrews and
Edinburgh, has told The Tablet that the Church has a duty of care
to Cardinal O'Brien and that he will be treated in the same way as all
other retired priests.
Some loyal friends of the cardinal are nevertheless fearful that
there may be an attempt to force him into exile. His parish priest in
Dunbar, Fr John Creanor - who studied for the priesthood alongside
Cardinal O'Brien - has threatened legal action against any attempt to
force him out of Scotland. His parishioners have started a petition
urging the cardinal to stay.
The complaints of sexual advances from four serving priests and
another who has stood down from ministry have overshadowed the
cardinal's record as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh.
Apart from
overblown and insensitive remarks on moral issues - most memorably on
gay marriage - he was known for his kindness and won admiration for his
many overseas visits to developing countries for the Scottish Catholic
aid agency, Sciaf.
The cardinal has now let it be known that he wants to put the scandal behind him and that the Church should help him to do that.
'If
Christianity is about anything at all, it's about forgiveness. That's
what I have to do as a cardinal priest - just forgive the wrongdoer and
help them go back on to the right path again,' he reportedly told the
Scottish Sun.
One could have sympathy with this plea, but
at the moment too many questions remain unanswered. He has admitted
there had been times when, his sexual conduct fell 'below the standards
expected of [him] as a priest, archbishop and cardinal'.
It is unclear
whether these were momentary lapses or whether he was leading a double
life throughout his career in the Church. We do not know whether he
habitually attempted to seduce young priests and seminarians or whether
he had mature, consensual relationships with other men.
It has
been claimed that his sexual misconduct affected his governance of the
archdiocese and that a culture of cronyism prevailed with power
concentrated within a circle of 'friends'.
This is a serious charge that the cardinal needs to address.
Of course to err is human, and Christianity is about forgiveness - but he owes us all an explanation.