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Vatican official takes over in troubled Scotland

Appointment follows scandal over Cardinal O'Brien
Vatican official takes over in troubled Scotland

Melrose Abbey, Scotland (picture: Shutterstock

Published: July 25, 2013 05:24 AM GMT
Updated: July 24, 2013 06:52 PM GMT

Pope Francis appointed Msgr. Leo Cushley -- a longtime Vatican diplomat from the diocese of Motherwell -- to be the new archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland.

The Vatican made the announcement Wednesday.

The native of Lanarkshire, Scotland, fills a post left vacant after Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigned in late February after admitting to sexual misconduct. Archbishop Peter Tartaglia of Glasgow acted as apostolic administrator of the archdiocese since the end of February.

"I know it's a delicate moment and that there is a lot to be done, but with God's grace and the kind support of the clergy and people of Edinburgh, I will work cheerfully and willingly with all the energy I can muster," Cushley said in a written statement.

"There are certain important questions that I will also have to familiarize myself with," but he said he could not yet "take stock of what has happened and see what can be done" before his ordination Sept. 21 in St. Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh.

"It is my sincere hope to do this always in truth and in charity, with a view to reconciliation and healing among the Catholics of Edinburgh. My first task is to preach the good news, Christ crucified and risen from the dead, to confirm my brother priests in their Catholic faith and ministry, and to be a loving, simple, wise shepherd to the flock that has been entrusted to me."

The archbishop-designate inherits an archdiocese that was rocked by news of sexual misconduct by O'Brien, who had led the archdiocese since 1985.

The cardinal stepped down Feb. 25 after the Observer, a British weekly national newspaper, carried a story detailing complaints of three priests and one former priest who alleged O'Brien made sexual advances toward them.

Full Story:Pope names Vatican diplomat to lead scandal-struck Scottish archdiocese 

Source:National Catholic Reporter

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