KEITH O’Brien, Scotland’s new Roman Catholic cardinal, has attacked the state of morality in contemporary society, saying people are "getting away with murder" with their stance on moral matters.
In an interview, Cardinal O’Brien took a traditional Catholic line towards the acceptance of homosexuality and of unmarried couples who live together, indicating that he is not willing to challenge the Church’s teaching on such issues.
Cardinal O’Brien said: "It is not Christ’s teaching that if you happen to be homosexual then you can have a partner. It is not Christ’s teaching that if your marriage breaks up, you can go and live with somebody else.
"Gay unions and these sort of things are becoming commonplace. Where is society going at all? Is there nobody going to take a stand?
"We’ve had Christianity here for more than 1,500 years and our standards have plummeted in recent years. I think people in general do realise there has been a dramatic fall in standards."
He added: "What are we going to do? Are we just going to progressively decline into a Bacchanalian state where everyone is just concerned with their own pleasures and to sleep with whoever they want? The future at times does look quite bleak on this."
The cardinal’s stance may have been encouraged by the Pope’s claim earlier this year that Scotland is no longer a Christian country. He also challenged Roman Catholic bishops to make the nation more spiritually-minded.
In March this year, the Pope said: "We may observe that in Scotland, as in many lands evangelised centuries ago and steeped in Christianity, there no longer exists the reality of a ‘Christian society’, that is a measure of its life and values.
"Joint efforts on the part of bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and laity are essential for addressing issues of grave concern, not only for the Church but for the whole of Scottish society."
It had been reported when Cardinal O’Brien took on his new post that he was a liberal on matters such as priestly celibacy.
However, he refuted these claims in yesterday’s interview, saying they were attempts by the media to attack the establishment. He said: "If one looks at the Royal Family, at parliament or whatever, we’re part of the establishment in one way or another - you’re there to be put down".
Cardinal O’Brien also hit out at another controversial issue by saying Catholic schooling should always be separate, adding it was the "gut reaction of so many ordinary Catholics to want it".
The comments by the cardinal have been greeted with dismay by the gay rights group Outrage, which said that his beliefs were "totally outdated".
David Allison, a spokesman for the group, said: "It’s a very historic and outdated attitude to believe that sex is only for reproduction and that no-one should enjoy it.
"It’s ridiculous for the cardinal to come out with comments about sex at a time like this, ignoring the greed and rampant spending over Christmas.
"The Catholic Church has lost much of its credibility as people lose faith in its obsession with birth control and issues such as homosexuality."
A spokesman for the gay rights group Stonewall said: "This attitude is totally outdated and very disappointing."