Image copyright EPA Image caption Philip Wilson faces a maximum two-year sentence

An Australian court has found a Catholic archbishop guilty of concealing child sexual abuse in the 1970s.

Philip Wilson, now archbishop of Adelaide, becomes the most senior Catholic in the world to be charged and convicted of the offence.

He was found to have covered up the abuse of altar boys by a paedophile priest colleague in New South Wales.

During his trial he denied being told about the abuse by some of the victims.

Wilson will be sentenced in June and faces a maximum two-year jail term.

What was heard in court?

Last month, Wilson told the Newcastle Local Court he had no knowledge of priest James Fletcher's actions, which took place when he was an assistant priest in Maitland, 130km (80 miles) north of Sydney.

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

One of his victims, former altar boy Peter Creigh, told the court he had described the abuse to Wilson in detail in 1976, five years after it took place.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Peter Creigh testified that he had told Wilson about being abused

Magistrate Robert Stone rejected Wilson's claims that he had no memory of the conversation, and said he had found Mr Creigh to be a reliable witness.

The priest knew "what he was hearing was a credible allegation and the accused wanted to protect the Church and its reputation", Magistrate Stone said.

Another victim, who cannot be named, told the court he disclosed the abuse in the confessional box when he was 11 years old.

He said Wilson told him he was telling lies and to recite 10 Hail Mary prayers as punishment.

What has been the reaction?

In a statement issued by the Church on Wednesday, Wilson said he was "obviously disappointed" with the verdict and would consider his legal options.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson outside the city's cathedral in 2002

His lawyers had tried to get the case thrown out on four occasions, after the 67-year-old was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Child sexual abuse survivors praised the verdict in emotional scenes outside the court following the decision.

"The decision will hopefully unravel the hypocrisy, the deceit and the abuse of power and trust that the Church has displayed," Mr Creigh told reporters.

How has Australia been handling such cases?

In 2012, then PM Julia Gillard set up a royal commission, the country's highest form of public inquiry, to look into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.

By the time it had published its final report in December last year, it had handled 42,000 calls and referred more than 2,500 cases to the authorities.

It said institutions including churches, schools and sports clubs had "seriously failed" to protect children.

Catholic institutions came in for particular criticism. The president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart, offered an "unconditional" apology.

PM Malcolm Turnbull said "a national tragedy" had been exposed.

How does this compare to convictions elsewhere?

The first cases of molestation by priests came to light in the 1980s. In the 1990s, revelations began of widespread abuse in Ireland, with cases spreading to more than a dozen countries this century.

Ireland, the US and Australia have carried out national inquiries, and there have been cover-up scandals such as in the Archdiocese of Boston in the US.

Although there have been convictions of priests for sexual abuse, in many cases accused clergymen were either moved or retired by their Church, with financial settlements agreed in some cases, particularly in the US.

Victims rights groups have complained the convictions do not often extend beyond priest level, with few senior figures brought to account, although a number have left their positions over their actions in sexual abuse cases, including Cardinal Bernard Law in Boston.

One of the most high-profile recent cases has been in Chile. All of its 34 Catholic bishops offered to resign. Pope Francis had handed them a 10-page document accusing Chile's Church hierarchy of negligence in sexual abuse cases.</s>Australian archbishop Philip Wilson, 67, was found guilty Tuesday of covering up child sex abuses in the 1970s, making him the most senior Catholic priest in the world to be charged and convicted of the offence.

The Adelaide archbishop covered up the abuse of four altar boys by a pedophile priest in the Hunter region of New South Wales.

The verdict in the Newcastle local court on Tuesday came after a magistrate-only trial, and Wilson faces imprisonment of maximum two years. Gareth Harrison, the prosecutor, told Wilson he had to be jailed for what he had done to deter others from trying to protect the Catholic Church.

“I will now have to consider the reasons and consult closely with my lawyers to determine the next steps,” Wilson said while expressing his disappointment at the decision, reported the Guardian.

Wilson stated during his rise from junior priest to church administrator, he had no knowledge about the sexually-abusive behavior of fellow-priests.

He rose to the top of the Australian church and was made in charge of managing the organization’s response to clergy sexual abuse.

Wilson became part of the “Australian bishops National Committee for Professional Standards” that came into existence in 1996 to supervise the management of the church's sexual-abuse crisis.

In 2001, when worldwide Catholic hierarchy was being accused of having covered up clergy sex-abuse crimes, Wilson was made the chairman of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

In April 2018, he was charged of concealing child sex abuse committed by Fr. James Fletcher during the 1970s. Witnesses said they complained to Wilson of the abuse but he failed to follow up, reported the Guardian.

Former altar boy Peter Creigh, one of his victims, told the court he had informed Wilson about the abuse in detail in 1976. Wilson has been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and claimed he did not remember the conversation he had with Creigh.

However, the Magistrate rejected the archbishops' claims and found Creigh to be a reliable witness.

Wilson also declared he would not resign until doctors advised him the Alzheimer’s disease was affecting his ability to do his job.

“If a point comes in the next eight years before my mandatory retirement as Archbishop of Adelaide, at 75 years of age, and I am advised by my doctors that the effects of Alzheimer’s disease might be beginning to impair my ability to function properly as archbishop, I will offer my resignation to the Holy Father,” he said.

Fr. James Fletcher on the other hand was found guilty on nine counts of child sexual abuse in 2004 and died in jail of a stroke in 2006.</s>MELBOURNE, Australia — An Australian archbishop was convicted on Tuesday of covering up a claim of sexual abuse dating back decades, and now faces a prison sentence of up to two years.

Philip Wilson, the archbishop of Adelaide, is the highest-ranking Catholic official in the world to be convicted of concealing such crimes.

The decision comes in the midst of a global reckoning for the Roman Catholic Church, as it grapples with a history of child sexual abuse and cover-ups. Cardinal George Pell, also an Australian and the Vatican’s de facto finance chief, was ordered last month to stand trial on charges of “historical sexual abuse.”

Archbishop Wilson, 67, was accused of covering up abuse by a priest, Jim Fletcher, in the state of New South Wales in the 1970s.</s>Philip Wilson to step down as Archbishop of Adelaide after conviction, but refuses to resign

Adelaide's Catholic Archbishop Philip Wilson, who is facing up to two years in jail for covering up child sexual abuse, says he will stand aside from his duties, but will not resign unless it becomes "necessary or appropriate".

Wilson was under mounting pressure to quit the role and today released a statement saying he would step down from his duties on Friday.

"It is appropriate that, in the light of some of his Honour's findings, I stand aside from my duties as Archbishop," he said.

"I am now putting in place the necessary administrative arrangements to ensure that the affairs of the Archdiocese are managed responsibly. I therefore intend to step aside as of Friday this week once those arrangements are in place."

But he has stopped short of resigning, saying he would only consider that option if he had to.

Wilson was convicted yesterday and is facing possible jailtime for not reporting paedophile priest Jim Fletcher to authorities in the 1970s.

Wilson's case is now being treated as a landmark judgment, with lawyers predicting it could trigger prosecutions over other sex abuse cover-ups within the church.

The Truth, Justice and Healing Council — which was set up by the church to respond to the royal commission into child sexual abuse — had earlier suggested Wilson's position was untenable.

"It's pretty obvious that he should stand down," CEO Francis Sullivan told ABC Radio Adelaide.

"Obviously Archbishop Wilson has his own legal rights to consider but he knows full well that in the Catholic Church, even when someone is facing allegations in this area, they step aside from their duties.

"The Catholic Church leadership needs to demonstrate that it's not going to be business as usual, that the royal commission and other findings are going to be taken seriously and implemented."

Father Frank Brennan, who chairs Catholic Social Services Australia, said it was important for the church's reputation that Wilson made the right decision.

"He should remain standing aside from all episcopal roles, whether local or national, unless and until any appeal court were to quash the conviction," he said.

"The Royal Commission has made it very clear that what we want is transparency and that has been made very clear within our church."

Following the verdict, the Archbishop released an initial statement that said he was considering his position.

One caller to ABC Radio Adelaide who sits on the board of a Catholic school said the diocese was shocked that Wilson did not step aside immediately.

"My kids are preparing for their sacraments at the moment, their communion and confirmation, and they then see that the head of the Catholic church in South Australia has been convicted for something like this. That's really hard to explain to them.

"It's not what we as young Catholic families want our contemporary church to be."

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young called for stronger laws against those who cover up sexual abuse.

"It was a recommendation of the royal commission — we need to move on that quickly," she said.

"The Federal Government should come out today and say they're going to move to uniform laws to ensure that hiding, covering up, concealing child abuse is unacceptable."</s>Adelaide archbishop Philip Wilson has been found guilty of concealing child sex abuse during the 1970s in the NSW Hunter region.

Magistrate Robert Stone handed down the verdict in Newcastle local court on Tuesday following a magistrate-only trial. He faces a maximum two years in prison.

The clergyman is the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged and convicted of the offence.

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Wilson was accused of covering up the abuse of four boys by paedophile priest James Fletcher during the 1970s. 

Wilson has been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and claimed to have no memory of a 1976 conversation he had with Peter Creigh, one of the alleged victims.

Wilson’s legal team had tried four times to have the case thrown out, including on grounds of his Alzheimer’s, even though he maintained the impairment was not severe enough to stand down from his job.



The defence argued Wilson was not guilty because there was no evidence to prove the archbishop was told about the abuse, believed it was true or remembered being told about it.

Fletcher was found guilty in December 2004 of nine counts of child sexual abuse and died in jail of a stroke in January 2006.



Witnesses said they had told Wilson of the abuse but he failed to follow up their complaints. One witness, now in his 50s, said Wilson told him the abuse claims were lies because Fletcher “was a good bloke”.</s>An Australian archbishop has been convicted of covering up child sex abuse, becoming the most senior member of the Roman Catholic church to be charged and found guilty of the offence. Philip Wilson, the Archbishop of Adelaide, faces a possible two years in prison when he is sentenced next month. He was found to have covered up the abuse of alterboys by the paedophile priest James Fletcher in the 1970s, a charge to which he had pleaded not guilty. Wilson has been released on bail until he appears at a sentencing hearing on June 9, where prosecutors are expected to argue for a custodial sentence. In a statement issued by the Catholic Church, Wilson said he was disappointed by the conviction. "I will now have to consider the reasons and consult closely with my lawyers to determine the next steps," he said.

Wilson, 67, was found guilty by a Newcastle Local Court, north of Sydney, following a magistrate-only trial. The clergyman, who suffers from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease but says medication has helped his memory, maintained during his trial that he could not remember being told by two alterboys in 1976 that they were abused by Fletcher. Fletcher, who was arrested in 2004 and was found guilty of nine counts of child sexual abuse, died of a stroke in prison in 2006. Magistrate Robert Stone said he was satisfied one of the altar boys, Peter Creigh had been a "truthful and reliable" witness. Mr Creigh told the court he had trusted Wilson, then an assistant priest, would take action after he told him Fletcher had repeatedly abused him in 1971 when he was 10. He said that Wilson had a "look of horror" on his face when told of the abuse, but that he took no action and did not tell police. The court has ordered that Mr Creigh can be named in media reports on his testimony, but the second accuser cannot be named for legal reasons.

The defense did not challenge Mr Creigh's truthfulness, but raised concerns about the reliability of his memory of what happened in 1976. The other former altar boy said he was about 11 in 1976 when he went to confession and told Wilson that Fletcher had abused him. The witness told the court Wilson refused to believe him because Fletcher "was a good bloke." Wilson ordered the boy to get out of the confessional box and say 10 Hail Mary prayers as an act of contrition, the court was told. Wilson testified last month that he had no memory of seeing the second altar boy at all in 1976 and he would never accuse anyone in the confessional of telling lies. Defense lawyers had argued 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. Speaking outside the court, Mr Creigh called it a "very significant day" for the victims of abuse. "It's a decision that will hopefully unravel the hypocrisy, the deceit and the abuse of power and trust that the church has displayed. And I say that on behalf of all victims because it is a very, very significant day," he said. Former Police Detective Chief Inspector, who had previously publicly accused the church of covering up Fletcher's crimes, said outside court he was "delighted" by the verdict.</s>Adelaide Archbishop Philip Edward Wilson has been found guilty of concealing child sexual abuse allegations against another priest after a landmark hearing in Newcastle Local Court.

Archbishop Wilson – who was the most senior Catholic cleric to be charged with failing to report child sexual abuse to police – showed no emotion as Magistrate Robert Stone delivered his lengthy judgement on Tuesday in front of a packed courtroom.

It is a decision that could have wide-reaching implications for other high-ranking clergy members.

The 67-year-old Archbishop was accused of failing to report allegations of child sexual abuse against paedophile priest Father Jim Fletcher, who died in jail in 2006.

Peter Creigh, a former altar boy, who bravely waived his right to a non-publication order on his name, had told the eight-day hearing that in 1976 he told Archbishop Wilson, then a junior priest at St Joseph’s Church, East Maitland, that Father Fletcher had subjected him to acts of punishment and sexual abuse about five years earlier.</s>Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson will stand aside from his duties after being convicted of covering up child sexual abuse.

In a statement issued by the Catholic Church on Wednesday, Wilson said it was appropriate to do so in light of Magistrate Robert Stone's findings against him in Newcastle Local Court on Tuesday.

"If at any point in time it becomes necessary or appropriate for me to take more formal steps, including by resigning as Archbishop, then I will do so," he said.</s>MELBOURNE (Reuters) - An Australian archbishop was found guilty on Tuesday of concealing child sex abuse by a priest, which Australian media said made him the most senior Catholic in the world to be convicted on such a charge.

Philip Wilson, the archbishop of Adelaide and a former president of the Catholic Church’s top body in Australia, is expected to be sentenced by the court in June. He faces a maximum penalty of two years in jail.

“I am obviously disappointed at the decision published today,” Wilson said in a media statement. He said he would consult with his lawyers before deciding his next steps.

Wilson was accused of covering up a serious indictable offense by another priest, James Fletcher, after being told about it in 1976 when he was an assistant parish priest in the state of New South Wales.

Lawyers for Wilson, 67, had argued that he did not know that Fletcher had abused a boy. Fletcher was found guilty in 2004 of nine counts of child sexual abuse and died in jail in 2006 following a stroke.

An emailed statement from the local court in Newcastle, New South Wales, said Magistrate Robert Stone ruled the “offense proven.”

Stone said he did not accept that Wilson could not remember a conversation in 1976 in which a victim, who would have been 15 at the time, had described how he was abused by Fletcher a few years earlier, Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.

The court was told in December that Wilson had early stage Alzheimer’s disease, a Catholic Church spokesman said.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, a collegial assembly of bishops and the country’s top Catholic body, said on Tuesday that Wilson had maintained his innocence throughout the judicial process.

Originally from the rural Hunter Valley in New South Wales where he served as a young priest, Wilson remains archbishop of Adelaide.

The Bishops Conference declined to comment on Wilson’s future as archbishop, an appointment made by the Vatican. Wilson served as president of the Bishops Conference between 2006 and 2012.

Last year, Australia completed a five-year government-appointed inquiry into child sex abuse in churches and other institutions, amid allegations worldwide that churches had protected pedophile priests by moving them from parish to parish.

The inquiry heard that 7 percent of Catholic priests working in Australia between 1950 and 2010 had been accused of child sex crimes and that nearly 1,100 people had filed child sexual assault claims against the Anglican Church over 35 years.</s>The most senior figure in the Catholic church so far to be found guilty of covering up for crimes of child sexual abuse has been found guilty by an Australian court.

The Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson could face two years in jail when sentenced in June.
Philip Wilson, the Catholic archbishop of Adelaide, Australia, is convicted of concealing sexual abuse of children from authorities.