The new Archbishop of St
Andrews and Edinburgh has indicated he believes the Vatican will take no
further action against his disgraced predecessor, Cardinal Keith
O'Brien, reports the Strathearn Herald.
Archbishop Leo Cushley told a newspaper his 'impression' was that
Rome had finished with the matter.
Cardinal O'Brien, who was Britain's
most senior Catholic cleric, stepped down in February after three
priests and a former priest made allegations of inappropriate behaviour
against him.
He issued an apology, saying 'there have been times that my sexual
conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me.' After his
resignation from the Archdiocese, he stated that he would play no
further part in the public life of the Catholic Church in Scotland.
He later left the country for a period of 'spiritual renewal', with reports suggesting the Vatican had ordered him to leave.
In the Scotland edition of the Times over the weekend, Archbishop
Cushley suggested that the Vatican would not be pursuing any further
action in relation to the Cardinal.
The Archbishop told the newspaper: 'My impression is that Rome has
finished with this. They will monitor the situation. They will look into
it again after a certain period to see that things are going in they
way they ought to be going. They may consider other evidence if it comes
to light, but it would be up to them as to what they should do.'