Pope orders investigation into misconduct in O’Brien’s diocese

Pope Francis has ordered an investigation into sexual misconduct in the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh following the resignation of Cardinal Keith O’Brien, writes Brian Morton.

The Vatican has appointed Bishop Charles Scicluna, who has a reputation for forensically investigating clerical sexual abuse cases, in what is the first inquiry of its kind into any Scottish diocese.

In February last year, Cardinal O’Brien resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct made against him by five men, four of them priests. The cardinal admitted that his sexual conduct had fallen below the expected standards and he was later ordered by the Vatican to undergo a period of prayer and penance. Since then he has been living outside of the archdiocese. 

The investigation by Maltese auxiliary Bishop Scicluna was mandated and author­ised by the Congregation for Bishops on the instructions of Pope Francis.

The bishop, who flew to Edinburgh on Tuesday for three days, has asked clergy who wish to speak to him to “prepare their ­narrative in writing”.

News of the investigation was announced to clergy in the archdiocese via two ad clerum letters to clergy by Archbishop Leo Cushley.

The archbishop, who said announcing an investigation was “the right thing to do”, has conducted his own informal inquiries into the allegations and in February travelled to Rome to give his view. In one of the letters to clergy, the archbishop urged priests with anything significant to say about misconduct of individuals within the clergy to come forward. It is understood that his investigation will not be limited to allegations of sexual misconduct but will extend to include the possibility of financial irregularity in the running of the archdiocese.

In 2005, Bishop Scicluna was asked by the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to hear testimony of victims of sexual abuse committed by Fr Marcial Maciel, the disgraced founder of the Legionaries of Christ. The bishop also served as promoter of justice at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where he ­examined numerous clerical-abuse cases.