Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric has been reported to the Vatican over claims of inappropriate behaviour going back 30 years, a newspaper says.
The Observer said three priests and one former priest have made the complaint against Cardinal Keith O'Brien, 74, leader of the Scottish Catholic Church.
They have demanded his immediate resignation, it said.
A statement from the Scottish Catholic Church said Cardinal O'Brien contested the claims and was taking legal advice.
The Observer reported that the four - from the diocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh - complained to the Pope's representative to Britain, nuncio Antonio Mennini, giving details of what they claimed was the cardinal's inappropriate behaviour towards them in the 1980s.
The four submitted statements to the nuncio's office the week before 11 February, when Pope Benedict announced his resignation.
One of the four men claimed he resigned as a priest when Cardinal O'Brien was first made a bishop, in order to "preserve his own integrity".
The complainant, who is now married, reportedly says in his statement: "I knew then he would always have power over me. It was assumed I left the priesthood to get married. I did not. I left to preserve my integrity."
The Observer reports that his statement claims Cardinal O'Brien made an inappropriate approach to him in 1980, after night prayers.
Late-night drinkingA second statement from another complainant says he was living in a parish when he was visited by O'Brien, and inappropriate contact between took place between them.
A third complainant alleges dealing with what he describes as "unwanted behaviour" by the cardinal in the 1980s after some late-night drinking.
And the fourth complainant claims the cardinal used night prayers as an excuse for inappropriate contact.
Cardinal O'Brien, who was born in Ballycastle, Co Antrim, has been the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh since 1985. He is also the president of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland.
The cardinal stood down from some front-line duties in the Catholic Church in Scotland last year because of his age, and is due to retire next month.
He has been an outspoken opponent of plans to legalise same-sex marriage and was named "bigot of the year" by gay rights charity Stonewall last November, prompting a storm of controversy.
Pope voteCardinal O'Brien will have a say in who succeeds Pope Benedict XVI when the pontiff stands down on 28 February. He is Britain's only representative in the election for a successor.
Last Friday, he said he had not yet decided who should be elected as Pope during the conclave, which is expected to be held next month.
The cardinal said he believed it might be time for a younger pontiff from part of the developing world, where the Catholic faith is thriving.
He also said he believed priests should be able to marry and have children if they wished to do so.
Meanwhile, nearly 10,000 people in the United States have signed a petition calling on a senior Catholic clergymen to not participate in the election for the next Pope.
Cardinal Roger Mahony has been accused of helping priests suspected of sexual abuse to escape detection.
The Los Angeles archdiocese, of which he was formerly the head, has paid out millions of dollars in compensation to victims of child sex abuse.
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