Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews and Edinburgh has ordered the Edinburgh Circle of the Newman Association to cancel an event at which Professor Tina Beattie was due to speak this month.

The archbishop was acting on instructions from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In a July letter which was only revealed last week, he wrote: "Professor Beattie is known to have frequently called into question the Church's teaching.

"I would therefore ask you to cancel this event, as it may not proceed or be publicised on any Church property in this archdiocese."

The archbishop also rebuked the association for organising a talk by theologian Joe Fitzpatrick, who has written a book critiquing original sin and seeking to make Genesis compatible with evolution.

Archbishop Cushley said that dogmatic teaching can't be brought into question on Church property.

Professor Beattie, Professor of Catholic Studies at the University of Roehampton, was prevented from undertaking engagements in Catholic institutions in two countries in 2012.

She was told one cancellation was because she had been a signatory to a letter in The Times in London arguing that Catholics could support civil same-sex marriage in good conscience.

On September 2, Professor Beattie wrote to Archbishop Cushley expressing her concern at his July decision, but has yet to hear a reply.

"You say that I am ‘known to have frequently called into question the Church's teaching'. Known by whom, in what context and with reference to which of my published works?" she queried.

"Never in my published writings or talks have [I] questioned any of the doctrinal mysteries of the Catholic Faith.

"On the contrary, I have consistently argued in defence of even the most frequently challenged doctrines of the Church."

She wrote that she believes that Catholics could enter a "more reasoned and nuanced public dialogue" about same-sex marriage than the hierarchy allowed.

The Edinburgh association has been offered a meeting with diocesan officials including Msgr Patrick Burke, one the archdiocese's vicars-general and formerly of the CDF.

Sources

• The Tablet
• The Guardian
• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: Reform Magazine

Cardinal O'Brien went into retirement after admitting "there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal".

The newspaper said Church officials in Scotland said the complainant left the priesthood in the mid-2000s, but has since returned to the Church.

The officials said they believed he complained to the Vatican last winter in revenge for Cardinal O'Brien's outspoken attacks on homosexuality and gay marriage.

The Herald said the complainant was known to have been in regular telephone contact with Cardinal O'Brien until recently and was a frequent visitor to St Benets, his official residence in Edinburgh.

The paper said the dramatic downfall of Britain's leading Catholic cleric was spurred by gay priests angry at his rhetoric and hypocrisy about same-sex marriages.

"All those who complained about Cardinal O'Brien and alleged they had been abused by him were known to him for decades. At least two are known to have been in same-sex relationships and had become exasperated at double standards in his statements about gay marriage.

"In the six months building up to him being forced to stand down last month, the cardinal had been under some pressure from priests to tone down the rhetoric.

"However, his statements, such as describing homosexuality as a ‘moral degradation', were a tipping point for those previously close to him."

One senior church figure said that while some fundamentalist Catholic groups had previously linked the priest with Cardinal O'Brien "there were many questions that others were asking about the relationship".

Another said: "One particular priest was a very close friend of the cardinal. It seemed to some to be a very unusual friendship."

Source:

Herald Scotland

Image: The Guardian

It said Vatican spokesmen refused to confirm whether an investigation would be launched but the Scottish Catholic Media Office said it expected an inquiry would take place once Benedict XVI's successor is chosen.

The paper suggested the inquiry would be conducted by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, who has taken over the archdiocese as administrator, has said "there is little doubt that the credibility and moral authority of the Catholic Church in Scotland has been dealt a serious blow and we will need to come to terms with that".

"Many reproaches have been aimed at the Church and at individuals over this matter," he said. "The most stinging charge which has been levelled against us in this matter is hypocrisy — and for obvious reasons."

Archbishop Tartaglia said it would take for the Church in Scotland to recover its credibility and moral authority.

"The answer to this sad episode is not to throw in the towel. We need, rather, to renew our faithfulness to Jesus Christ and to go about our business humbly."

Meanwhile, Catherine Deveney, the journalist who reported the accusations against Cardinal O'Brien in The Observer, has told how the story unfolded.

"This is not about the exposure of one man's alleged foibles. It is about the exposure of a church official who publicly issues a moral blueprint for others' lives that he is not prepared to live out himself," she wrote.

"Homosexuality is not the issue; hypocrisy is. The cardinal consistently condemned homosexuality during his reign, vociferously opposing gay adoption and same-sex marriage.

"The Church cannot face in two directions like a grotesque two-headed monster: one face for public, the other for private."

Sources:

The Independent

BBC News

The Guardian

Image: Daily Record