British Cardinal admits sexual conduct “has fallen below the standards expected”

Cardinal Keith O’Brien has admitted sexual misconduct throughout his career in the Roman Catholic Church after he was forced to resign by Pope Benedict XVI last week.

The 74-year-old cardinal has admitted that there have been times he was involved in inappropriate behaviour and that his sexual conduct “has fallen below the standards expected” of him as a priest, archbishop and cardinal.

He had previously defended the allegations against him by three other priests who accused him of “inappropriate acts” as long as thirty years ago.

One priest said he had received unwanted attention from the Cardinal after late night drinks and another alleged that O’Brien used night prayers as a cover for inappropriate contacts.

He has apologised and asked for forgiveness from the church for breaching strict rules on celibacy and from those he had “offended”.

It was announced that O’Brien would retire from public life in entirety and shall play no further part in the public life of the Catholic Church in Scotland.

Keith O’Brien is a former archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh and was recently appointed the senior most Catholic in Britain. He had been due to travel to Rome to help select the next Pope.

Aastha Gill