Australian archbishop resigns after sex abuse cover-up

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Australian archbishop Philip Wilson, the most senior cleric found guilty of concealing child sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, has resigned, the Vatican said on Monday.

Wilson, 67, the archbishop of Adelaide, was convicted in May of failing to disclose to police the abuse by a priest, Father James Fletcher, after being told about it in 1976 by two victims, one of them an altar boy.

Archbishop Philip Wilson leaves Newcastle Local Court in Newcastle, Australia, July 3, 2018. /VCG Photo

His resignation, which he had earlier refused to submit, comes as a new wave of sexual abuse allegations have hit the highest echelons of the Church around the world.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who this month urged Pope Francis to sack Wilson, said he welcomed the decision, which “belatedly recognizes the many calls, including my own, for him to resign.”

“There is no more important responsibility for community and Church leaders than the protection of children,” he said in a statement.

Wilson, who has maintained his innocence, was convicted in May of covering up abuse by Fletcher in the 1970s. Fletcher was found guilty in 2004 of nine counts of child sexual abuse and died in jail in 2006 after a stroke.

Wilson said in a statement he hoped his decision would be a “catalyst to heal pain and distress” in the Archdiocese of Adelaide.

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

(Top image: Archbishop Philip Wilson arrives for sentencing at Newcastle Local Court in Newcastle, Australia, July 3, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Reuters