LONDON — Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic cleric has resigned amid allegations of inappropriate behavior made by priests.

The Vatican said Monday that Pope Benedict XVI had formally accepted the resignation of Cardinal Keith O’Brien, archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh. The Observer newspaper reported Sunday that the Vatican had been notified of allegations of inappropriate behavior stretching back 30 years.

Three priests in Scotland, as well as a former priest, have lodged complaints to the Vatican's ambassador to Britain and demanded O'Brien's immediate resignation, according to the newspaper.

The 74-year-old cardinal has contested the claims and said he is taking legal advice.

O’Brien had been prepared to resign, citing his age as the cause. He turns 75 on March 17, and the Vatican said the pope had in November accepted a resignation letter under the condition of “nunc pro tunc,” meaning “now for later.”

The Vatican said Monday, however, that the pontiff had now accepted the resignation “definitively.”

Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images, file

The Vatican confirmed Monday that it had accepted the resignation of Cardinal Keith O'Brien, 74.

It means O'Brien will not take part in the conclave to elect the pope's successor - a process that could begin earlier than March 15 after the rules governing the process were changed in a move announced Monday.

O’Brien said in a statement that it was the pope himself who had decided his resignation would take effect immediately.

“Approaching the age of 75 and at times in indifferent health, I tendered my resignation … some months ago,” he said. “The Holy Father has now decided that my resignation will take effect today.”

O'Brien would have been Britain's only elector in the papal conclave that will gather to decide on a successor to Benedict XVI.

"I will not join them for this conclave in person," O'Brien said. "I do not wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me -- but rather on Pope Benedict XVI and on his successor."

A hint of O’Brien’s accelerated resignation was found Sunday in Edinburgh, when the cardinal did not appear as scheduled to lead a Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Instead, Bishop Stephen Robson made a statement on O’Brien’s behalf.

“A number of allegations of inappropriate behavior have been made against the cardinal,” the statement said. “The cardinal has sought legal advice, and it would be inappropriate to comment at this time. There will be further statements in due course.”

Robson is an auxiliary prelate in the Edinburgh diocese.

O'Brien's statement went on to say: "I have valued the opportunity of serving the people of Scotland and overseas in various ways since becoming a priest. Looking back over my years of ministry: For any good I have been able to do, I thank God. For any failures, I apologize to all whom I have offended."

Controversy
O’Brien had gained a reputation as a hard-line conservative and opponent of gay rights.

In 2009, O’Brien urged the Scottish National Party to abandon plans to give gay couples the same foster-parenting rights as straight ones, calling the idea “misguided” and saying that gays were known for unstable relationships.

Last year, he wrote an editorial in the Daily Telegraph in which he urged people to stand up against a proposal to allow gay marriage, which he said was “madness.” He referred then to same-sex marriage as a “grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right.”

O’Brien’s stance and other comments led the gay rights group Stonewall UK last year to nominate him for its “Bigot of the Year” award.

“Ten-thousand people overwhelmingly, decisively voted that he should be given that award,” said Colin MacFarlane, director of Stonewall Scotland. “We don’t call people a bigot because they disagree with us. We reserve that for people who use the kind of language the cardinal has used. He has gone out of his way. It has not been fair discourse. His language has been cruel, hurtful and pernicious.”

The group's response to news of O'Brien's resignation was unsurprising.

“We trust there will now be a full investigation into the serious allegations made against Cardinal O’Brien,” MacFarlane said. “We hope his successor will show a little more Christian charity towards openly gay people than the cardinal did himself.”

Two weeks ago, the pope’s brother, the Rev. Georg Ratzinger, said scandals had troubled Benedict XVI and may have contributed to his decision to retire.

He specifically mentioned that Benedict had been bothered by the "Vatileaks" scandal in which a butler leaked secret documents, as well as the "the relationship to the Pius Brotherhood."

That organization, formally known as the Society of St. Pius X, fell into a harsh public spotlight in December when its leader, Bishop Bernard Fellay, said Jews were "the enemies of the church." His comment drew criticism from all corners of the church and from the public in general.

Georg Ratzinger said he thought his brother had handled those problems well but that they had taken their toll.

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This story was originally published on Mon Feb 25, 2013 6:55 AM EST

A fireworks rocket misfired and ricocheted into boxes of undetonated fireworks, setting the rest of the $3,200 display in Scotland off at once, scattering the audience and injuring one girl, the BBC and other UK media reported Tuesday.

The Monday night fireworks display organizers, Pentland Community Centre of Oxgangs Brae in Edinburgh, issued an apology Tuesday:

"This was a freak accident, and most regrettable, but this is the first incident we have had in 10 years of holding this popular community event, and we extend our apologies to everyone who was alarmed," it said.

The organizers said they would review safety protocols.

A girl suffered a burn to the side of her face and was taken to Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children, the BBC reported.

Footage of the fireworks eruption was posted on YouTube.

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The Scotsman newspaper reported that the fireworks display was part of the annual Bonfire Night show.

Susan Ross, a local resident at the display, was quoted by the BBC:

"My friend and her daughters were standing at the side of the post office and the showers of fireworks were coming over them and they had to jump over the girls to stop the sparks landing on their jackets.

"The next thing I heard was several bangs and then a massive explosion. "I turned around and everybody was just scattering and running across the road away from it. I saw people lifting buggies up off the ground because people had their brakes on the buggies and they were physically lifting their kids by the arms to get away.

"My heart was going along with everybody else. Some of the kids were crying because they did get a fright.”

Earlier this year in San Diego, Calif., a computer glitch was blamed when the Big Bay Boom show went bust on Independence Day as a sudden burst of hundreds of fireworks shot into the air about five minutes before the scheduled start of the show.

August Santore, co-owner of Garden State Fireworks, the next day apologized on television stations "to all the residents and all the people who missed their fireworks."

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After three days of speculation, tension and excitement, a zoo announced Thursday that Scotland's only pandas -- Sweetie and Sunshine -- had failed to mate.

Normally kept separately, they were only introduced to each other Tuesday, but the signs looked good.

"Gentle giant" Sunshine, or Yang Guang, had been doing "panda handstands" to display his virility, while "very smart" Sweetie, or Tian Tian, also seemed interested.

In a brief emailed statement, Edinburgh Zoo said they noticed a drop in Sweetie's hormones late Wednesday and "limited breeding behavior was seen in both pandas" Thursday morning.

"As a result Tian Tian and Yang Guang were not put in together today [Thursday]. Edinburgh Zoo can announce that the panda breeding season for 2012 has now come to an end and both pandas are back on display," the statement said.

Lack of mating experience hinders Scotland's pandas

There was perhaps a note of sadness in the final line of the email, which was sent to msnbc.com and other media outlets. 

"No interviews will be given today and there’s no access on site."

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Sweetie, a female giant panda, met her intended breeding mate, Sunshine, at Edinburgh Zoo a day ago.

Sparks flew, there was "vocalization," lots of encouragement and some physical contact, but the prospective lovers did not close the deal due to a lack of experience, said Iain Valentine, director of research and conservation at the zoo.

“Each time the pair met we saw a huge amount of eagerness and attraction between Tian Tian (whose name means Sweetie in Chinese) and Yang Guang (Sunshine)," Valentine said in a statement. "... He mounted her several times, however full mating did not occur. Although both have bred before and have borne cubs with other pandas, they are both still relatively inexperienced."

With time running out for a mating this year, the pair may have to wait until 2013, zoo officials said.

The pandas arrived in the Scottish capital in December from China as part of a 10-year conservation project. They have been munching their way through nearly 110 pounds of bamboo a day since then as they settled into their new home, the zoo said.

Sweetie, 8, has previously given birth to twins. She is described by the zoo as being mischievous and quite fussy with her food, but also a panda of "great character and very smart." Sunshine, also 8, is a "gentle giant," who allows keepers to get very close and loves food and being outside -- even in heavy rain.

The pair had their first close encounter after 9 a.m. Tuesday, when the zoo's "panda cams" were turned off and an indoor enclosure was lifted so they could make one another's acquaintance. "Amidst much excitement, most of it from the pandas, the two met," the zoo said in the statement.

David Moir / Reuters

Yang Guang, a male giant panda rubs himself against the barrier to the enclosure of female giant panda Tian Tian, as he walks in his enclosure at Edinburgh zoo in Scotland April 4, 2012.

There were several other encounters on Tuesday and Wednesday, and they were to see each other later Wednesday. But the chances of achieving a successful mating this year have decreased, the zoo said. Females can only conceive once a year and there is a narrow 36-hour window to mate, which can make reproduction tough.

Experts had decided the time was right after doing hormone testing and observing their behavior over several weeks. Valentine had noted Sweetie going into her pool in late March, which he said she was likely to be doing to cool down as her body prepared for ovulation, and that Sunshine was doing handstands to show "how fit and virile he is."

Visitors had "also spotted them both with their paws up against the grate between the two outdoor enclosures at the same time, popularly dubbed the ‘love tunnel,’" Valentine said.

Although they didn't end up mating, the experience for them and the zoo was "immeasurable," the zoo said. 

"We are hugely encouraged by how much the natural sparks flew between the two animals as, like humans, not all male and female pandas are attracted to each other. Both were keen to mate, but their inexperience showed," Valentine said.

The pandas came to Scotland after an agreement was signed in January 2011 between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Organization. China has historically sent the furry creatures abroad as a sort of cultural ambassador.

Giant pandas are in serious decline due to habitat loss, with fewer than 1,600 remaining in the wild. China's Wolong National Nature Reserve has 60 sites set up to help protect the panda population and increase its numbers in the wild, which has helped, though they are still an endangered species, the zoo said.

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