Image copyright Reuters Image caption Philip Wilson was found guilty of concealing child sexual abuse

Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson has resigned after being convicted of concealing child sex abuse.

In May, he was given a one-year sentence for failing to report allegations of abuse by a priest in the 1970s.

Wilson is the world's most senior Roman Catholic cleric to be convicted of the offence.

Earlier this month, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called on the Pope to sack him.

During his trial, Wilson denied any knowledge of abuse committed by priest James Fletcher during his time as an assistant priest in Maitland, 130km (80 miles) north of Sydney.

Fletcher was convicted of nine child sexual abuse charges in 2004, and died in jail in 2006.

However, the magistrate found that Wilson had been told about the abuse by the young victims and that he had failed to report the crimes because he wanted to protect the Church's reputation.

Wilson has said he will appeal against his conviction. He could avoid jail after the court ordered he be assessed for "home detention".</s>Australian Archbishop, Philip Wilson, the most senior Catholic official in the world to be convicted of concealing child sexual abuse, has resigned, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said in a statement on Monday.

 The 67-year-old Catholic cleric was convicted in May and later sentenced to 12 months in jail for failing to report to the Police, the sexual abuse of two altar boys, by a paedophile priest in the 1970s.

 According to the statement, Pope Francis accepted Wilson’s resignation.

 Wilson, the archbishop of Adelaide, has launched an appeal against his conviction, which is set to continue.

 Calls for his resignation came from all quarters, including Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, who welcomed Wilson’s resignation.

 Turnbull said: “I welcome Philip Wilson’s resignation as Archbishop of Adelaide today, which belatedly recognises 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.’’</s>Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has finally resigned, months after he was found guilty of covering up the sexual abuse of altar boys in the Catholic Church.

In a statement, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said that 'His decision to resign comes after considering his future following his conviction for failing to report allegations of child sexual abuse that occurred in the 1970s.'

Wilson was found guilty in May of concealing multiple incidents of sexual abuse dating back decades, and was sentenced to 12 months detention earlier this month.

He is the highest-ranking Catholic official in the world to be convicted of covering up abuse in the church.

An emotional two-page letter written by a sexual abuse victim was credited with helping to convict Wilson in Newcastle Local Court on Friday, May 25.

The letter was penned by Peter Creigh, who was abused by paedophile priest James Fletcher more than 50 years ago.

Mr Creigh detailed his harrowing childhood as an altar boy in the two-page note, which was written in 2010.

'I had a choice. If I didn't tell them it would have got to me and I would have become another statistic,' Mr Creigh told The Advertiser after Wilson's conviction.

Mr Creigh said the sexual assaults occurred in 1971 at the hands of Father Fletcher.

In the letter, Mr Creigh explosively alleged he had told Wilson of the abuse he endured in 1976.

The letter dated July 29, 2010, was found by the Special Commission of Inquiry in 2013 after being kept secret for three years.

Mr Creigh concluded: 'For us victims of sexual abuse our lives will not be the same again, we have been mentally, and in some cases physically scarred for life — that is the sad part.'

The Catholic Archbishop was found guilty of covering up father Fletcher's sexual abuse of altar boys from the 1970s on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Gareth Harrison said Wilson was involved in a cover-up to protect the church's reputation — arguing that child sex abuse 'victims came second' in Wilson's mind.

'Archbishop Philip Wilson has today been found guilty of failing to inform police about allegations of child sexual abuse,' Archbishop Mark Coleridge said on the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide's site.

'Archbishop Wilson maintained his innocence throughout this long judicial process. It is not yet clear if he will appeal the verdict.'

Wilson officially stepped aside from his role as Archbishop on Friday.</s>The Pope has accepted the resignation of Adelaide Catholic archbishop Philip Wilson after he was convicted of concealing child abuse in May.

Wilson became the most senior Catholic cleric to be convicted of not disclosing to police abuse by another priest.

He immediately launched an appeal against his conviction after he was handed 12 months’ detention earlier this month.

Calls for his resignation came thick and fast but Wilson insisted he would not step aside until his legal options were exhausted.

Pope Francis accepted Wilson’s resignation on Monday night, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said in a statement.

“I welcome Philip Wilson’s resignation as Archbishop of Adelaide today which belatedly recognises the many calls, including my own, for him to resign,” he said in a statement.

“There is no more important responsibility for community and church leaders than the protection of children.”

Wilson’s appeal is set to continue, the ACBC said, but his resignation may bring comfort to the victims of priest James Fletcher – whose abuse the former archbishop allegedly concealed.

“This decision may bring some comfort to them, despite the ongoing pain they bear,” the ACBC said.</s>The Pope has accepted the resignation of an Australian archbishop convicted of covering up the sexual abuse of children by a priest.

The Pope has accepted the resignation of an Australian archbishop convicted of covering up the sexual abuse of children by a priest.

Francis’ move followed mounting pressure from Australian priests and even the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull.

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson was convicted in May of failing to report to police the repeated abuse of two altar boys by a paedophile priest in the Hunter Valley region north of Sydney during the 1970s.

He became the highest-ranking Catholic cleric ever convicted in a criminal court of covering up abuse.

Wilson had declined to resign pending an appeal of his case.

Mr Turnbull added his voice to those calling for his sacking in an appeal to Francis on July 19.

The Vatican said that Francis has accepted Wilson’s resignation.</s>Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson — the most senior Catholic in the world to be convicted of concealing child sex abuse.

There had been intense pressure on Philip Wilson to officially step down from the role, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and other political leaders among those calling for his resignation.

In May, Wilson was found guilty of covering up the abuse of children between 2004 and 2006 at the hands of paedophile priest Jim Fletcher in the 1970s.

In a statement, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said Wilson had "decided that his conviction means he can no longer continue as Archbishop because to do so would continue to cause pain and distress to many, especially to survivors and also in the Archdiocese of Adelaide".

"While the judicial process will continue, Archbishop Wilson's resignation is the next chapter in a heartbreaking story of people who were sexually abused at the hands of Jim Fletcher and whose lives were forever changed," the statement read.

"This decision may bring some comfort to them despite the ongoing pain they bear."

The Prime Minister said the resignation was overdue.

"I welcome Philip Wilson's resignation as Archbishop of Adelaide today which belatedly recognises the many calls, including my own, for him to resign," Mr Turnbull said on Monday night.

"There is no more important responsibility for community and church leaders than the protection of children."

It is understood Mr Turnbull was advised on the weekend that the Archbishop would be resigning.

Wilson was sentenced to 12 months' detention earlier this month and has said he intends to lodge an appeal.

Port Pirie Bishop Greg O'Kelly has been filling in as apostolic administrator of the Adelaide Archdiocese, taking over Philip Wilson's responsibilities.

'Too much pain in my maintaining office': Wilson

In a media release from the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide, Wilson said he hoped and prayed that his decision would be a "catalyst to heal pain and distress".

"On July 20 I submitted to the Holy Father, Pope Francis, my resignation from the position of Archbishop of Adelaide," he said.

"Though my resignation was not requested, I made this decision because I have become increasingly worried at the growing level of hurt that my recent conviction has caused within the community.

"I had hoped to defer this decision until after the appeal process had been completed.

"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 Fletcher.</s>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 abuse by a priest, Father James Fletcher, after being told about it in 1976 by two victims, one of them an altar boy who told him inside the confessional.

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, further tarnishing its image and creating the greatest crisis of Francis' pontificate, now in its sixth year.

It came two days after the Vatican announced that the pope had stripped Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, DC, of his rank as cardinal and ordered him to live in seclusion. McCarrick has been accused of sexual abuse of minors and adult seminarians decades ago.

Francis is also fighting an image crisis in Chile, where a growing abuse scandal has enveloped the Church since all 34 of the country's bishops offered to resign.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who this month urged the pope to sack Wilson, said he welcomed the decision to quit, which 'belatedly recognises 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, who is free on bail, is to face court again on August 11, for a ruling on whether he will be imprisoned or allowed to serve his one-year sentence in home detention.

Wilson had earlier refused to resign, saying he would wait until his appeals process for the conviction was finished.

He 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.</s>Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has formally resigned after being found guilty of concealing child abuse in a bid to help survivors move forward.

In May, Wilson became the most senior Catholic cleric to be convicted of not disclosing abuse to police.

The abuse was committed by priest James Fletcher in the NSW Hunter Valley in the 1970s.

Wilson insisted he would not step aside until his appeal against his 12-month home detention sentence was complete.

But, amid growing calls for his resignation, Wilson wrote to Pope Francis on July 20 requesting to step aside.

His request was accepted and announced on Monday night.

"I made this decision because I have become increasingly worried at the growing level of hurt that my recent conviction has caused within the community," Wilson said in a statement.

"I welcome Philip Wilson's resignation as Archbishop of Adelaide (on Monday) which belatedly recognises the many calls, including my own, for him to resign," he said in a statement.

"There is no more important responsibility for community and church leaders than the protection of children."

Wilson said he initially hoped to delay his decision until the appeal was finished.

"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 Fletcher," he wrote.

The appeal is set to continue, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said.

The bishops hoped Wilson's resignation may bring comfort to Fr Fletcher's victims.

"This decision may bring some comfort to them, despite the ongoing pain they bear," the ACBC said.

The Adelaide Archdiocese was placed under the care of Bishop Greg O'Kelly following the guilty verdict and he will remain in charge until Wilson's replacement is appointed by the Pope.</s>Pope Francis on Monday accepted the resignation of Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson, the most senior Catholic Church leader to be convicted in a criminal court of concealing sexual abuse, the Vatican said.

The move follows a period in which Francis faced mounting pressure to take action against Wilson, a top figure in an Australian church that has been deeply scarred by decades of abuse cases.

It is the second time in three days in which Francis has accepted a resignation stemming from sexual abuse — part of global reckoning for a church that has long been reluctant to discipline those at its highest echelons. On Saturday the former archbishop of Washington, Theodore McCarrick, became the first cardinal in history to step down due to allegations of sexual abuse.

[Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, facing sexual abuse reports, resigns from the College of Cardinals]

Wilson had previously refused to resign, saying he was entitled to due process and was pressing forward with an appeal.

He was sentenced recently to a 12-month detention for what an Australian court says was his failure to report cases of sexual abuse carried out in the 1970s by a priest, James Fletcher. Two altar boys said they told Wilson about abuse at the hands of Fletcher, and in the courtroom, one described how the priest had forced him to strip and kneel as he masturbated. Prosecutors said that Wilson did nothing with the information.

Wilson denies that he had been told about the abuse.

Wilson, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, stepped away from his day-to-day work as Archbishop of Adelaide after being convicted. But he retained the title of archbishop.

“While the judicial process will continue, Archbishop Wilson’s resignation is the next chapter in a heartbreaking story of people who were sexually abused at the hands of Jim Fletcher and whose lives were forever changed,” the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president, Archbishop Mark Coleridge, said in a statement. “This decision may bring some comfort to them, despite the ongoing pain they bear.”

In 2004, Fletcher was found guilty on nine counts of sexual abuse. He died in prison in 2006.

In recent weeks, political leaders in Australia, including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, had called on Francis to take action, with Turnbull saying, “The time has come for the pope to sack him.”

For Francis, the latest resignation underscores a new wave of challenges he is facing about how to handle not just the priests who abused children, but also the cardinals and bishops who allowed the abuse to happen — or sometimes carried it out themselves. Francis is facing a massive case of abuse in Chile that has led the country’s 34 bishops to offer their resignations. And later this month, Francis will travel to Ireland, a country still reeling from abuse scandals.

On Saturday, Francis took one of the most significant steps of his papacy, ordering McCarrick to live under de facto house arrest in advance of his canonical trial. Some experts have speculated that the Vatican could move to strip McCarrick, 88, of his clerical status, meaning he would become a layperson. McCarrick faces no criminal charges, because his alleged acts are beyond the statute of limitations.

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news</s>VATICAN CITY, July 30 (Reuters) - Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson, the most senior Catholic cleric in the world found guilty of concealing child sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, has resigned, the Vatican said on Monday.

The Vatican said Pope Francis had accepted the resignation.

Wilson, 67, of Adelaide, was convicted in May of failing to disclose to police abuse by another priest, James Fletcher, after being told about it in 1976 by two victims, one of them an altar boy who told him inside the confessional. (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson announces his resignation after being convicted for his role in covering up sexual abuse. He is the most senior Roman Catholic official convicted to date.