Cardinal’s low key funeral is correct decision by Vatican

THE Catholic Church in Scotland found itself between a rock and a hard place regarding the funeral arrangements for shamed former Cardinal Keith O’brien.

This was not an unforeseen problem. In 2013, as a result of sexual misconduct allegations – and Cardinal O’brien’s subsequent admission that his behaviour fell short of the standard expected of a priest, archbishop and cardinal – he had been forced to give up the rights and duties which attached to his title.

At the time, there were questions about what role he would continue to have, if any, and where he would live in retirement. But the Herald also flagged up a dilemma ahead for the the Church.

Having risen to the highest echelons of the church, upon his death Cardinal O’brien could have expected the same ceremony afforded other archbishops and cardinals.

That includes a funeral mass in his own diocese, in this case St Andrews and Edinburgh, of which he was archbishop until 2013. The expectation would be that a requiem mass would be presided over by his successor, Archbishop Leo Cushley, and that he would subsequently be laid to rest in St Mary’s Cathedral.

But Cardinal O’brien was accused of abusing his position to make advances on subordinate priests. He was also guilty of considerable hypocrisy, having had a long-standing affair with another man while preaching of the immorality of homosexuality and opposing gay marriage.

For his victims and indeed others who have been abused at the hands of priests, to have afforded him the kind of ceremony usually associated with the passing of a cardinal would have been a further insult.

Recognising the sensitivity, when Cardinal O’brien’s death was announced on Monday, the diocese immediately said the Holy See and Pope Francis himself would consult with his family and with

Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nicholls to determine the best course.

The suggestion by sources in the Diocese that the funeral would be in keeping with the manner of his later life was an early indication that Cardinal O’brien would not be laid to rest with the full ceremonial trappings usually accorded to those of his standing in the Church.

In holding a requiem mass for him in Newcastle, and a burial alongside his parents in Mount Vernon Cemetery in Edinburgh, it appears a reasonable balance has been struck.

Some will see it as a snub that his funeral mass will not be held in St Mary’s Cathedral, nor even elsewhere in the diocese. There are already mutterings that internal politics have influenced the decision. Some of those who knew Cardinal O’brien say that he would have still expected to be laid to rest in St Mary’s.

The church says differently. It is certainly credible that, given the circumstances, he would have chosen to be buried with his mother and father. His brother and the executor of his will were party to the decision.

Meanwhile, by appointing a Cardinal to oversee the funeral of a fellow Cardinal, Keith O’brien’s status is arguably being suitably honoured.

Given the extent to which his reputation had been tarnished, and to which his behaviour had tarnished that of the church, it was always hard to imagine Cardinal O’brien having being laid to rest with full ceremonial honours.

The solution reached by those involved has balanced a course which appears to be the least offensive outcome for all those affected.

Within a Church founded on the principle that all of us are sinners, and the final judgement is not one for man to make, a quiet, respectful, Christian burial, is the right decision for all concerned.