Obituary: Cardinal Keith O'Brien
Irish-born head of the Catholic Church in Scotland who was forced to resign over allegations of sexual misconduct
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.
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