THE head of the Catholic Church in Scotland was recovering in hospital last night following surgery to have a pacemaker fitted.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien was fitted with the device following recent heart problems.
The 70-year-old, who has suffered from a heart murmur, had experienced dizzy spells in recent weeks and fainted prior to Palm Sunday mass.
Cardinal O'Brien, who
used his Easter Sunday sermon to launch a fierce attack on the government's controversial legislation on embryo research, had the device fitted under local anaesthetic at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary yesterday afternoon.
Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, confirmed Cardinal O'Brien had been admitted to hospital.
He said: "He does suffer from a heart murmur which he has had since his twenties and, on medical advice, had a pacemaker fitted
"This was an elective admission timed to coincide with a short holiday break. The procedure was carried out under local anaesthetic and did not involve heart surgery."
The cardinal, who is Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, was last night said to be recovering well from the procedure.
Cardinal O'Brien is expected to resume a full programme of engagements in the coming weeks. He is due to attend a public meeting to campaign against the government's Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, having sparked a debate on the issue at the weekend.
In his Easter Sunday mass, the cardinal accused Gordon Brown of "an unprecedented attack on the sanctity and dignity of human life".
The full article contains 252 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
