DESPITE having only a few hundred thousand Catholics in a global population of 1.2 billion, the Pope's resignation will have an impact in Scotland in the short to medium term.
The leader of Scotland's Catholics, Cardinal Keith O'Brien will be part of the council of 120 cardinals which aims to elect a new Pope before Easter. It will be the second time Cardinal O'Brien will have taken part in the consistory, having been part of the process which led to Benedict XVI's election in 2005.
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