Australian archbishop guilty of concealing child sex abuses
● Move is step towards holding church to account for global crisis
An Australian archbishop has become the most senior Roman Catholic cleric in the world convicted of covering up child sex abuse.
Magistrate Robert Stone handed down the verdict against Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson in Newcastle Local Court, north of Sydney, following a magistrate-only trial.
Wilson, 67, had pleaded not guilty to concealing a serious crime committed by another person – the sexual abuse of children by paedophile priest James Fletcher in the 1970s.
He had made four attempts in the past three years to have the charge struck out with altar out a trial. The conviction is another step toward holding the church to account for a global abuse crisis that has also engulfed Pope Francis’ financial minister, Australian Cardinal George Pell.
Frank Brennan, an Australian Jesuit priest, human rights lawyer and academic, said Wilson had to stand aside as archbishop of the South Australian state capital.
“I would think that the mind of Pope Francis at this stage would be that if there be a conviction of a bishop in relation to a failure to disclose abuse in circumstances where the state thought that was criminal activity, then I would think the mind of the pope would be that that doesn’t measure up in church terms either and that therefore it would be impossible for someone to remain in the job as a bishop,” Brennan said.
Yesterday, Magistrate Stone told the court that Wilson had concealed the abuse of two boys in the Hunter Valley region, north of Sydney, by Fletcher by failing to report the allegations to police.
Stone said he was satisfied that one of the altar boys, Peter Creigh, had been a “truthful and reliable” witness.
Wilson was released on bail until he appears at a sentencing hearing on 19 June.
In a statement issued by the Catholic Church, Wilson said he was disappointed by the conviction. He said: “I will now have to consider the reasons and consult closely with my lawyers to determine the next steps.”
Prosecutor Gareth Harrison had submitted that Wilson was involved in a coverup to protect the church’s reputation and that there were doubts about his honesty. Harrison argued that in Wilson’s mind, victims came second.
Wilson, who is suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, told the court last month during his trial that he could not remember Creigh and another altar boy telling him in 1976 that they were abused by Fletcher.
The prosecution argued that Wilson failed to give details to police about a serious crime after Fletcher was arrested in 2004 and went on trial for preying on another boy.
Fletcher was found guilty of nine counts of child sexual abuse and died in prison of a stroke in 2006 while serving an almost eight-year sentence.
Defence lawyers had argued that Wilson could not be found guilty because the case was circumstantial and there was no evidence to prove the archbishop was told about the abuse, believed it was true or remembered being told about it.