CARDINAL Keith O'Brien has been forced to stand down from the Catholic Church's top job in Scotland due to ill health, in a move which could bring forward his retirement.

His decision came after he was forced to cancel all public engagements because of complications caused by the gout he has suffered.

The 74-year-old, who was controversially named Bigot of the Year by the leading gay charity Stonewall for his opposition to same-sex marriage, could now be forced to bring forward his official retirement, due in a few months' time.

The Archbishop of Glasgow, Philip Tartaglia, has been elected to the Cardinal's role as president of the Bishops' Conference, the body which controls the church.

It effectively makes him the most influential Catholic churchman north of the Border.

The Cardinal, who is using a stick to aid his mobility, recently spent over a week at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh where the cellulitis, which can cause gangrene or heart inflammation, was halted.

He cancelled engagements recently after he was unable to travel from his Edinburgh home to a radio interview in Falkirk.

He only made a brief appearance at a Year of Faith mass in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, on Sunday, where he joked about both his health and his Bigot of the Year award.

Senior Catholic sources say the move marks a changing of the guard for the church in Scotland.

They suggest Archbishop Tartaglia's new role as President of the Bishops' Conference mean he is heading the church without having the title of Cardinal.

Archbishop Tartaglia's elevation from Bishop of Paisley to Glasgow, home to a large percentage of Scotland's Catholics, was seen as the next step in him becoming the head of the church in Scotland, but the latest moves hand him the most powerful role sooner than expected.

Although Cardinal O'Brien turns 75 next March, when he is required to submit his resignation, Archbishop Mario Conti had to stay on until he was 78 and a successor was appointed for Glasgow.

The change is also unlikely to signal any real change of tone from the Catholic hierarchy, with the church's voice being largely orthodox since the appointment of Pope Benedict in 2005.

One leading source said: "It'll put a bit of pressure on the Vatican to find a replacement for Keith sooner than what they'd maybe intended.

"He's said he doesn't want to do a Mario Conti and he'll have a very good case now to be able to have a private life again once he turns 75.

"The baton has been passed, but, as Cardinal Keith still is the most senior ranking churchman, I've no doubt he'll continue to make public pronouncements."

Another leading church source said: "This has been a big big blow to the Cardinal. It's a severe and very painful infection and its knocked him back. He has a massive workload and its all really catching up with him. He's had to hobble around with a stick."

Archbishop Tartaglia said: "I would like to pay tribute to Cardinal O'Brien and Archbishop Conti as outgoing President and Vice President for all they have done for the Bishops' Conference over the past 10 years."

Joseph Toal, Bishop of Argyll and the Isles, is the new Vice President of the Conference and Bishop Hugh Gilbert of Aberdeen was elected Episcopal Secretary.

l An abstract sculpture purporting to portray the Pope as a paedophile wearing a nazi swastika crucifix has caused anger. It has gone on show at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness as part of an exhibition by artist Jeff van Weereld.