Archbishop convicted of failure to report abuse resigns

Aug 02, 2018

By Carol Glatz
Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Philip Wilson, who had been found guilty by an Australian court of failing to inform police about child sexual abuse allegations.

The Vatican made the announcement July 30.

Archbishop Wilson of Adelaide was sentenced to 12 months of house arrest by the Newcastle Lower Court July 3 with another hearing set for Aug 14 to assess the location of his home detention.

The archbishop was convicted in May for failing to report allegations of child sexual abuse by a priest in the 1970s. He stepped aside from his duties in the Adelaide Archdiocese May 25 but, at the time, maintained his title as archbishop.

Archbishop Wilson had resisted calls to resign and had said July 4 he would do so only if an appeal of his conviction had failed.

However, “there is just too much pain and distress being caused by my maintaining the office of archbishop of Adelaide, especially to the victims of Fr (James) Fletcher,” Archbishop Wilson said in a statement released July 30.

“I must end this and therefore have decided that my resignation is the only appropriate step to take in the circumstances,” he said. --CNS