Disgraced cardinal Keith O'Brien apologises for conduct after sexual allegations Cardinal Keith O'Brien has apologised for his behavior after allegations of sexual misconduct forced him to resign. Picture: Getty Images. A BRITISH cardinal has admitted his behavior fell "below the standards expected of me" after allegations of sexual misconduct. Keith O'Brien resigned last week after claims of sexual impropriety. In a statement, Cardinal O'Brien has also apologised "to those I have offended ... to the Catholic Church and people of Scotland." Cardinal O'Brien resigned as head of the Catholic Church in Scotland on Monday in the wake of claims that he made sexual advances towards priests. Cardinal O'Brien - who stepped down as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh - initially denied the allegations, which date back to the 1980s. Cardinal O'Brien was to have voted on the successor for a pope but he was forced to resign after allegations surfaced in Britain's Observer newspaper. Picture: AP/Scott Campbell But Cardinal O'Brien confirmed in his resignation statement that he will not take part in the election conclave, which has been overshadowed by controversies surrounding O'Brien and other cardinals caught up in sex scandals. Cardinal O'Brien said he would spend the rest of his life in retirement and play no further part in the public life of the Catholic Church in Scotland. "To those I have offended, I apologise and ask forgiveness," he said in Sunday's statement. To the Catholic Church and people of Scotland, I also apologise. I will now spend the rest of my life in retirement. I will play no further part in the public life of the Catholic Church in Scotland. He confirmed in his resignation statement that he will not take part in the papal election conclave, which has been overshadowed by controversies surrounding O'Brien and other cardinals caught up in sex scandals. He had been due to resign on his 75th birthday later this month but said on Monday that the pope had decided it should take effect immediately. Cardinal Keith O'Brien looking out of a window at his home in Edinburgh, Scotland. Picture AFP/ Andy Buchanan. "Many priests have found it very difficult to cope with celibacy as they lived out their priesthood, and felt the need of a companion, of a woman, to whom they could get married and raise a family of their own," he told BBC television. A priest claims that Cardinal O'Brien used night prayers as cover for inappropriate contact, Britain's Observer newspaper reported last month. A string of new scandals and allegations have emerged since Benedict became only the second pope in the Church's 2,000-year history to step down of his own free will. Four members of the conclave are associated with the paedophile priest scandals that have dominated Benedict's eight-year rule as pope. And while 85-year-old Benedict cited his age as the main factor in his resignation, media have speculated that an explosive report into last year's "Vatileaks" scandal may have played a role. Cardinal O'Brien has previously angered the gay community with his hardline public stance on homosexuality. He was named "bigot of the year" last year by the gay rights charity Stonewall. He recently said that same-sex marriages would be "harmful to the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of those involved" and has long voiced opposition to gay adoption. But he has also called for priests to be able to marry and have children.