Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who stepped down as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh in 2013, and relinquished all duties after admitting sexual misconduct, died after a fall. He will not be accorded a full requiem mass in his own diocese and will not be buried in Edinburgh's St Mary’s Cathedral. A requiem mass will take place at the Church of St Michael, in Newcastle on April 5. He is to be interred at Mount Vernon Cemetery in Edinburgh, in the same grave as his parents, which the Catholic Church has said was at his own request.
“In life, Cardinal O’Brien may have divided opinion. In death, however, I think all can be united in praying for the repose of his soul, for comfort for his grieving family and that support and solace be given to those whom he offended, hurt and let down. May he rest in peace.”
Archbishop Leo Cushley
"As in other ecclesiastical organisations, the Vatican deals with its miscreants without recourse to secular law. Had Keith O’Brien been an employee in any other profession, his behaviour would have led to criminal charges and instant dismissal. For those he had abused, there was no redress, no comfort, and no confirmation by the church that their plight has been fully acknowledged. Instead, in time-honoured fashion, the offender was sent into purdah, and the business hushed up. This, despite the Vatican’s report into the allegations apparently containing material “hot enough to burn the varnish off the Pope’s desk”.
Rosemary Goring, The Herald
"The Pope said he will pray for Keith O'Brien, his family, the diocese – but not the victims. This would have been such a difficult week for them and a letter like this will be a further kick in the teeth for them. The church keeps on telling us how it has changed and how it has learned lessons from the past, but it hasn't changed one bit. This Pope is the same as the one who came before him and the one who came before that, not one thing has changed. Victims have been let down for decades and they continue to let down victims by sending out letters of condolences which don't even acknowledge the victims."
Margaret McGuckin, Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse (SAVIA), commenting on the Pope's letter of consolences to Archbishop Cushley
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