Britian's Cardinal resigns

Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, is stepping down as leader of the Scottish Catholic Church.



It follows claims, which he contests, of inappropriate behaviour towards priests dating back to the 1980s.



In a statement, the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh apologised to those he had offended for failures during his ministry.



The cardinal also confirmed he would not take part in the papal election.



This means Britain will be unrepresented in the election of a new pontiff.



News of Cardinal O’Brien’s resignation comes weeks after Pope Benedict the 16th announced that he will be stepping down.



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