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
Four priests have accused O'Brien of inappropriate behaviour and inappropriate contact. The other men involved were over the legal age of consent but O'Brien allegedly abused his position of authority over them making it hard for them to refuse his advances. Two of the accusers claim lasting psychological harm, one that he needed long term counseling. Criminal investigations are possible. These four separate accusations have as of March 2013 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 as of 26th Feb 2013 accusations against the cardinal were limited to allegations that he took advantage of much younger adult priests and one student priest.

As shown in the article Is/was Cardinal Keith O'Brien a serial sexual predator? 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 has admitted unspecified sexual misconduct. though we don't know (yet?) if there was serial sexual predation as the accusers allege.

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.

Is/was O'Brien a serial sexual predator?
Naturally the Roman Catholic Church has moved into damage limitation mode. They order the accused to live as a shamed recluse, hold an internal investigation and try to avoid the results being made public.

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, he's certainly a hypocrite.

Lasting effect
So as of early March 2013 we don't know conclusively if O'Brien is/was a sexual predator but we know he 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 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.