Did Cardinal O'Brien block sex abuse enquiry?

The Scotsman is carrying the following story:


DISGRACED Cardinal Keith O’Brien blocked an independent inquiry into cases of historic sexual abuse that had the support of every other bishop in Scotland, the retired Archbishop of Glasgow, Mario Conti, has revealed.

The Catholic Church in Scotland had planned to invite an independent academic to compile a report on each diocese’s “secret archives” and each bishop’s handling of allegations, which would then be made public.

However, Cardinal O’Brien, then the president of the Bishops’ Conference, refused to co-operate and the planned inquiry was shelved, Archbishop Conti wrote in a letter to be published in the Catholic newspaper the Tablet today.

Difficult to know what to say about this other than, if true, it is further evidence of the need for clarity over what Cardinal O'Brien did or didn't do in his past. In any case, the general need for clarity about the state of the Church in Scotland -particularly child abuse- is underlined by this revelation.