Cardinal Keith O'Brien and Sexual Sin

Cardinal Keith O'Brien was the highest ranking Roman Catholic dignitary in the UK. O'Brien was named bigot of the year due to his opposition to Gay marriage gay adoption and his generally anti-gay position. Indeed O'Brien feels allowing gay rights is "a mere step away from legalising paedophilia and bestiality." Well really? That's strong language. Since the worthy cardinal opposes Homosexuality so strongly did he act consistently and avoid gay behaviour himself?

Accusations and admission
Three priests and one former priest accused O'Brien of inappropriate behaviour and inappropriate contact in February 2013. The other men involved were probably below 21 which was the legal age of consent for homosexual acts in Scotland at the time,, further O'Brien allegedly abused his position of authority over them making it hard for them to refuse his advances. Two of the accusers apparently suffered lasting psychological harm, one claims that he needed long term counseling. Criminal investigations are possible. These four separate accusations have not been proved or disproved conclusively but lead the Cardinal to resign possibly after pressure from the Pope. Keith O'Brien was a friend of notorious paedophile Jimmy Savile, but accusations against the cardinal are limited to allegations that he took advantage of much younger adult priests and one student priest, possibly older adults as well.

Higher ranking priests have frightening and arbitrary power over lower ranking priests. This can make it very hard for a young inexperienced priest to resist pressure from an older experienced priest in authority over him even if the younger priest doesn't want to do what the older man wants. An old experienced priest can find it hard to resist pressure from a superior as well.

On the 3rd March 2013 O'Brien admitted unspecified sexual misconduct. though we weren't sure (yet?) if there was serial sexual predation as the accusers alleges. In mid March 2013 yet another man says O'Brien groped and kissed him when he was a young student priest and that man wants to sue the cardinal in court so the truth may come out or at least some truth may come out. O'Brien's was later even accused of groping or trying to grope another priest in 2003 at a drinks party in Rome to celebrate his becoming a Cardinal. Shall we call that a cardinal grope? O'Brien could have been elected pope in place of Benedict XVI or in place of Pope Francis if he hadn't been exposed. At least the world has been spared a pope who likes to grope.

An alternative that isn't getting enough attention is that O'Brien broke his vow of Celibacy in less harmful ways and is a victim of Vatican arbitrary so-called justice. It is suspected be two of his accusers had a long term relationship with the sexy cardinal which may or may not have been predatory. Many were frustrated over the way the cardinal condemned homosexuality in public while doing exciting sexy things in private.

As of May 2013 still nothing has been proved through sworn testimony in court.

Sexual predator?
Naturally the Roman Catholic Church has moved into damage limitation mode. First they tried to pressure the accusers into silence, one priest said,

The Church was quite prepared to let O'Brien take part in the election of the next pope and then retire. The accusers weren't satisfied and went public, O'Brien didn't attend the conclave and disappeared from public view till early May rumours developed. The general problem of oppressive arbitrary power higher ranking clerics can exercise against juniors has not been resolved. Regardless of whether or not O'Brien is guilty junior clerics generally are at risk from arbitrary punishment from superiors without the safeguards that exist in a court of law.

All we know for certain is that O'Brien broke his vow of Celibacy in unspecified ways. Well celibacy is hard to keep for a lifetime and very many Roman Catholic Priests, Monks and nuns break their vow. The media assume he's guilty as charged and there's plenty of circumstantial evidence, he's certainly a hypocrite.

Arbitrary punishment
Roman Catholic so-called justice is arbitrary and unpredictable. in March 2013 rumours emerged O'Brien had been ordered to "lead the life of a hermit and a shamed recluse." In May it appeared O'Brien was lucky and the church let him off lightly. Despite his shame the sinful Cardinal tried to creep back into a cottage in a pleasant Rural areas where he planned to spend his retirement before the scandal broke. The Vatican ordered O'Brien out of the UK.

Lasting effect
So as of May 2013 we don't know conclusively if O'Brien is/was a sexual predator though circumstantial evidence is mounting that he was into gay stuff. We know O'Brien didn't always keep his vow of Celibacy. Wasn't it common knowledge many supposed celibates break that vow?

From now on every time we hear or read some Roman Catholic dignitary moralising that we shouldn't do something or other sexual that many of us enjoy doing we will all ask ourselves the following. How likely is it the worthy cleric has been doing in secret what he tells us publicly not to do?

Sexual hypocrisy
Sexual hypocrisy is in no way limited to American Protestant WASP's and neither is injustice.