'They would crush me if they could': Former priest who accused Cardinal Keith O'Brien claims Catholic Church are out to get him Cardinal Keith O'Brien faces claims of inappropriate attention by four men One, an unnamed former priest, says church has not acted ethically O'Brien, 74, stepped down as Archbishop of St Andrew's and Edinburgh Will no longer travel to Rome to help elect successor to Pope Benedict XVI By Sam Webb Cardinal Keith O'Brien has resigned as Archbishop of St Andrew's and Edinburgh over the allegations. One of his accusers says the church would 'crush' him, given the opportunity A former priest who reported Cardinal Keith O'Brien to the Vatican over allegations of 'inappropriate' behaviour has attacked the church's response to the complaints. The Cardinal, who was Britain's most senior Catholic cleric, stepped down from his post as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh a day after the allegations by three priests and a former priest stretching back 30 years were published last Sunday. The Cardinal is contesting the allegations and is taking legal advice. The 74-year-old cleric tendered his resignation to Pope Benedict in November, citing age and 'indifferent health'. He had been widely expected to step down next month when he turns 75. His resignation was accepted by the pope on February 18 but it was announced on Monday that it was taking place with immediate effect. In the Observer, which first reported the story last week, the former priest, who remains anonymous, today said he had been 'disappointed' by the church's reaction. He said: 'There have been two sensations for me this week. One is feeling the hot breath of the media on the back of my neck and the other is sensing the cold disapproval of the church hierarchy for daring to break ranks. I feel like if they could crush me, they would. The vacuum the church has created has allowed whimsy and speculation to distort the truth, and the only support I have been offered is a cursory email with a couple of telephone numbers of counsellors hundreds of miles away from me. Cardinal O'Brien is now Archbishop Emeritus of St Andrews and Edinburgh and has no role in the governance of the diocese. He has not travelled to Rome for the conclave to elect the next pope meaning the church in Britain has no vote in the process. Staying away: Cardinal O'Brien, pictured with the Duke of Edinburgh and the Pope, will no longer attend the election to choose Benedict XVI's successor The Scottish Catholic Media Office made no comment today, but last week its director Peter Kearney said the Cardinal's resignation had not been accelerated because of the allegations. He said: 'The timing is very unfortunate and it does appear as if one has followed the other, which in terms of chronology one has followed the other, but that's not the same as saying one caused the other. When it comes to responding to the allegations I think what he will do is act on his legal advice, and the legal advice at the moment would be to not publicly engage with the detail as it stands of the allegations. Another priest has called for the Catholic Church in Scotland to be more open in dealing with complaints. Father John Robinson said: 'If the Catholic Church in Scotland is to heal itself, we need transparency and understanding. We need to learn lessons from the mistakes we have made in the past and move on to become a more loving and understanding church which does not condemn victims or even abusers. Cardinal Keith O'Brien said sorry as it was revealed that he must resign now rather than wait until his 75th birthday, which falls this month. In a statement the Cardinal said: "Looking back over my years of ministry: for any good I have been able to do, I thank God. For any failures, I apologise to all whom I have offended. Cardinal O'Brien's apology follows growing controversy over his leadership in recent weeks. The vehemence of his public stand against same-sex marriage led to condemnation by the gay lobby. However, in a surprise move just a day before the sex scandal broke, he upset traditionalists by calling for priests to be given the right to marry. Position: The archbishop was the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland and the UK's senior priest Senior church figures are expected to go at 75, but the Vatican often allows leeway of a year or two. Following news of the sex scandal over the weekend, the Pope gave Cardinal O'Brien no choice. "The Holy Father has now decided that my resignation will take effect today, 25 February 2013, and that he will appoint an Apostolic Administrator to govern the Archdiocese in my place until my successor is appointed," Cardinal O'Brien said. The Cardinal said in his statement: "I thank Pope Benedict XVI for his kindness and courtesy to me and...I wish him a long and happy retirement. I also ask God's blessing on my brother Cardinals who will soon gather in Rome to elect his successor. I will not join them for this conclave. I do not wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me - but rather on Pope Benedict XVI and on his successor. Saying mass in Edinburgh: Cardinal Keith O' Brien in his role as Britain's most senior Catholic VIDEO Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor is 'saddened' by the resignation In Rome: The cardinal had been due to travel to the Vatican to take part in the forthcoming papal conclave Retiring: Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during his last Angelus noon prayer from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican yesterday VIDEO Cardinal Keith O'Brien talks about choosing new pope