A cardinal who had been the top Catholic cleric in Britain resigned
Friday over sexual impropriety allegations, but was allowed to keep his
title – an arrangement that opened debate over what it said about Pope
Francis’s treatment of clerical misconduct. The mere fact of Cardinal Keith O’Brien’s resignation was startling – he is reportedly the first cardinal to do so since the 1920s.
The 77-year-old Scottish cleric had already stepped aside from his regular duties in 2013 after allegations surfaced that he had made sexual advances to a number of priests. On Friday, the Vatican announced that O’Brien would become a cardinal in name only. He loses the rights and privileges of a cardinal, such as voting for pope, but is still a priest and a retired bishop.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/03/20/cardinal-steps-down-over-sexual-impropriety-allegations-a-first-for-a-cardinal-since-1927/
The 77-year-old Scottish cleric had already stepped aside from his regular duties in 2013 after allegations surfaced that he had made sexual advances to a number of priests. On Friday, the Vatican announced that O’Brien would become a cardinal in name only. He loses the rights and privileges of a cardinal, such as voting for pope, but is still a priest and a retired bishop.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/03/20/cardinal-steps-down-over-sexual-impropriety-allegations-a-first-for-a-cardinal-since-1927/