Last week, the Observer reported that the former priest had claimed Cardinal O'Brien had made an inappropriate approach to him in 1980, after night prayers, when he was a seminarian at St Andrew's College, Drygrange.

BBC: Cardinal Keith O'Brien sorry for sexual misconduct

His accusers took their complaints to the Vatican representative in Britain and demanded O'Brien's resignation, The Observer reported.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The announcement came a day after a report by the British Sunday newspaper The Observer that three priests and one former priest leveled allegations against O'Brien that date back 30 years.

CNN: Vatican reveals Pope Benedict's new title