On February 22, Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigned his post as Archbishop of Scotland amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Of course he initially denied that the complaints against him were true, but made the decision to step down to avoid further embarrassment to Rome.
Well, lo and behold, O'Brien has now admitted to his actions and has apologized to anyone who gives a damn about his contrition.
In recent days certain allegations which have been made against me have become public. Initially, their anonymous and non-specific nature led me to contest them. However, I wish to take this opportunity to admit that there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal. To those I have offended, I apologise and ask forgiveness. To the Catholic Church and people of Scotland, I also apologise. I will now spend the rest of my life in retirement. I will play no further part in the public life of the Catholic Church in Scotland.
Last year, Britain's largest gay charity organization declared O'Brien
Bigot of the Year. Let's take a look at some of the things he has said to earn him that accolade.
Gay marriage is a grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right.
Redefining marriage will have huge implications for what is taught in our schools, and for wider society. It will redefine society since the institution of marriage is one of the fundamental building blocks of society. The repercussions of enacting same-sex marriage into law will be immense.
Same-sex marriage would eliminate entirely in law the basic idea of a mother and a father for every child. It would create a society which deliberately chooses to deprive a child of either a mother or a father.
Other dangers exist. If marriage can be redefined so that it no longer means a man and a woman but two men or two women, why stop there? Why not allow three men or a woman and two men to constitute a marriage, if they pledge their fidelity to one another? If marriage is simply about adults who love each other, on what basis can three adults who love each other be prevented from marrying?
Imagine for a moment that the Government had decided to legalise slavery but assured us that ‘no one will be forced to keep a slave.’ Would such worthless assurances calm our fury? Would they justify dismantling a fundamental human right? Or would they simply amount to weasel words masking a great wrong?
That last one is a charmer, isn't it. Comparing marriage equality to slavery is always a big hit.
Look, I don't care if you hate yourself for whatever reason is gnawing at you. That is your business. But I am sick to the teeth of these self-loathing self-righteous assholes who manage to get themselves into positions of great power and use that power to try to make everyone as miserable as they are. I don't care if you are a politician, a member of the clergy, or that nasty piece of work down the block who yells at little children and squirrels. Just shut up already and leave the rest of us to celebrate who we are.
Update: As msmacgyver notes in her comment below, the timeline of O'Brien's resignation is more intricate and interesting than I first mentioned. From the cited article.
When Cardinal Keith O’Brien handed in his resignation as archbishop of Scotland to Pope Benedict XVI ahead of his 75th birthday on March 17 last year, he likely had no idea how relevant it would become in the history of the Catholic Church. The resignation was made nunc pro tunc or “now for later”—to be dealt with when the pope had time for such matters. But Pope Benedict, who is stepping down from his papacy on February 28, only found time to approve O’Brien’s resignation last Friday.
Thank you msmacguyver. It is important to get these things right.
