Obituary: Cardinal Keith O'Brien

Irish-born head of the Catholic Church in Scotland who was forced to resign over allegations of sexual misconduct

DISGRACED: Cardinal O’Brien outside St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, in 2007. Photo: Reuters

CARDINAL Keith O'Brien, the former Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, who died on Monday aged 80, was a robust defender of the Catholic faith, particularly on sexual and bioethical matters, and a major player in the Scottish political scene who called for full Scottish independence; in 2013, however, he was forced to resign after being embroiled in a sexual scandal of his own making.

As archbishop and later cardinal, O'Brien - sometimes known as "the cardinal of controversy" - made an impact in three particular areas: the fight against world poverty; the moral questions surrounding abortion, embryo research and nuclear weapons; and the question of Scottish independence. In all of these he was happy to court media controversy.