Australia: Archbishop most senior Catholic to be convicted of concealing child abuse

The archbishop ofAdelaide, Philip Wilson, was found guilty of concealing the crimes of a paedophile in court yesterday.

He said he would step down from his duties at the end of this week.

“It is appropriate that, in the light of some of his Honour’s findings, I stand aside from my duties as Archbishop,” he said in a statement released today.

“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 did not say whether he would appeal the conviction.

Newcastle Local Court ruled that he had known about the priest’s abuse of altar boys in the 1970s and failed to report the crimes to the authorities.

A magistrate found that he dismissed the boys’ stories in a bid to protect the reputation of the Church.