‘Pope, sack archbishop convicted in child abuse case’

This video says about itself:

Archbishop Found Guilty Of Hiding Child Sex Abuse

22 May 2018

An Australian archbishop is facing up to two years in prison after being convicted of concealing child sex abuse by a fellow priest in the 1970s. Archbishop Philip Wilson is the highest ranking Catholic official to be convicted of covering up sexual abuse, part of a global scandal which has dogged the Vatican for decades. The 67-year-old archbishop of Adelaide was found guilty of having concealed the abuse of altar boys by a pedophile priest colleague, James Fletcher, in the 1970s, when he was an assistant parish priest in the state of New South Wales.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

Australian prime minister: convicted archbishop must be fired

Australian Prime Minister Turnbull has urged Pope Francis to dismiss Australian archbishop Wilson. Wilson has been sentenced to a year’s imprisonment because he has concealed sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

The 67-year-old Archbishop of Adelaide is the highest ranking church official convicted of an abuse scandal in Australia.

In the seventies, Wilson kept silent on the abuse of four boys by priest Fletcher. He was found guilty of nine cases of sexual abuse in 2004 and sentenced to eight years imprisonment. In 2006 Fletcher died in prison.

Denial

According to Archbishop Wilson, he knew nothing of the abuse, but victims denied that. They say that in these years Wilson lived in the same apartment as Fletcher and should have known.

“There are many leaders that have called on him to resign, it is clear that he should resign, and I think the time has come now for the ultimate authority in the church to take action and sack him”, says Prime Minister Turnbull.

…

It will soon be decided whether the archbishop will be able to have his sentence as house arrest.

See also here.

Verdict: one year house arrest for Philip Wilson.

Advertisements