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 the gout he has suffered from for a number of years.

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 walking, recently spent over a week at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh where the cellulitis, which can cause gangrene or heart inflammation, was halted.

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.

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."