LONDON (AP) - The cardinal who until recently served as Britain's highest-ranking Catholic leader has admitted to unspecified sexual misbehaviour and promised to play "no further part" in the public life of the church.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigned last Monday from his position as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh after a newspaper published accounts alleging that priests had accused him of misconduct.

O'Brien initially rejected the claims, saying he was resigning because he did not want to distract from the upcoming conclave which is due to pick a new pope.

But on Sunday the Church of Scotland issued a statement quoting O'Brien as saying that there had been times "that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal."