Colin James: Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson must resign

CATHOLIC Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson can’t just stand down while he considers his legal options over his conviction for covering up a paedophile priest’s sexual abuse of altar boys. He must resign immediately, writes Colin James.

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PHILIP Wilson has proven yet again to be what many of his critics think of him – arrogant, aloof, conceited and out of touch with reality.

By belatedly announcing that he will stand down as Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide he has demonstrated that he has no comprehension of the impact his actions are having on the shattered church community he purportedly leads.

Standing down is not enough. He must resign immediately if three years of upheaval over allegations he concealed the sexual abuse of altar boys by another priest in the Hunter Valley four decades ago are to have any chance of ending.

As soon as he walked out of court in New South Wales yesterday Archbishop Wilson should have made a statement to the waiting media pack that he would be stepping aside permanently. He chose to say nothing and did not respond to any of the journalists’ many questions about his future.

Instead, he decided to wait until this morning to issue a short statement saying he thinks it is “appropriate that, in the light of some his Honour’s findings, I stand aside from my duties as Archbishop.”

But, to make things even worse for those who gave evidence against him, he continued: “If at any point in time it becomes necessary or appropriate for me to take more formal steps, including resigning as Archbishop, then I will do so.”

No, Archbishop Wilson cannot resign if “it becomes necessary or appropriate”. He has been found guilty of covering up child sex abuse while a junior priest.

Yes, he is entitled to appeal against his conviction but the very fact he has been convicted — after four attempts to have the charges against him dismissed — is enough reason for him to resign.

Regardless of the outcome of any appeal, the cloud which has hung over the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide since he was arrested and charged in 2015 must now lift for the sake of its parishioners, schools, aged care homes and community facilities.

For them, the days of Archbishop Wilson conducting weddings, confirmations, funerals and baptisms must end if their faith in the church - and their leaders - is to be restored. For too long it has been undermined by the behaviour of deviant priests here and overseas which has been systemically hidden from the public.

In Archbishop Wilson’s case, a magistrate has described his response to questioning during his trial as “contrived”, his repeated attempts to have the charges against him dismissed as “legalistic” and his emotions as “not genuine”.

I have found this surprising as Philip Wilson has never struck me personally as anything other than a decent man. But I am not a Catholic. Friends who regularly attend mass tell me they have found him to be more of an aloof bureaucrat than a priest, someone who protectively manages the church rather than provides spiritual leadership.

During his trial, prosecutors described him as a “consummate Catholic politician” central to the “entrenched toxic culture of covering things up”. It appears they were entirely correct.

Like others, I am taken aback by Archbishop Wilson’s conviction. I was not expecting him to be found guilty. The case against him seemed, to me, to have weaknesses.

But if, as Magistrate Robert Stone has found, he did not report the abuse of boys by another priest he is not worthy to remain in office, under any circumstances.

Philip Wilson should immediately resign as Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide, writes Colin James. Picture: Calum Robertson

There regularly have been comparisons between Philip Wilson and his predecessor as Archbishop of Adelaide, Leonard Faulkner, who was buried at a service led by Archbishop Wilson just over a week ago.

Leonard Faulkner was seen as a humble, compassionate man who did not want the trappings of high office in the Catholic Church, notorious for its lavishness within its highest levels. Wilson is regarded by many as the complete opposite.

While Leonard Faulkner wanted to live in a small, modest home, Philip Wilson has spent the past 17 years living in Archbishop’s House on West Terrace. While not opulent by any means, it is an imposing property with considerable status.

He also has regularly travelled overseas, especially to the United States where the church is still trying to repair the damage inflicted by widespread cover ups and to Rome, where he has spent large amounts of time at the Vatican.

Among one of the assignments he undertook for the Vatican was coordinating an internal inquiry into Cardinal George Pell against allegations made against him while he was a bishop in Australia.

I first met Philip Wilson in 2001 when he was appointed Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Adelaide. I conducted his first media interview in the lounge of Archbishop’s House the day after he arrived from Wollongong where he was known as the “Healing Bishop”.

Regarded as an international expert on canon law, we discussed his work in NSW to support victims of child sex abuse committed by members of the clergy.

Two years later, I had considerable dealings with Archbishop Wilson as he forced police to pursue a paedophile who had fled interstate after abusing intellectually disabled children who attended St Ann’s Special School, in Adelaide’s southern suburbs.

For several years, I covered the aftermath of the arrest and conviction of the school’s bus driver and janitor, Brian Charles Perkins, as his various victims, many with Down Syndrome, suffered immensely from his abuse and Archbishop Wilson promised to pay them $2 million in compensation.

This involved regular meetings with him and his lieutenant, Monsignor David Cappo, at the Adelaide Archdiocese head office on Wakefield St, next to St Francis Xavier Cathedral. I wrote about how the pair were instrumental in developing the Catholic Church’s national guidelines on handling child sex abuse allegations, Towards Healing.

In 2002, after I returned from the Bali bombings where I helped to identify victims in a makeshift outdoor morgue, Archbishop Wilson gave me a special citation. It meant a great deal to me to receive it from him. Such was my professional respect for him.

I saw Archbishop Wilson outside of work as well. On three occasions he confirmed my sons as Catholics at St Ignatius’ Church in Norwood, welcoming them into the church and encouraging them to pursue their faith.

It has been disappointing to subsequently watch him repeatedly try to avoid prosecution before attending court hearings in Newcastle, accompanied by Monsignor Cappo, last December.

At first, there was uncertainty over his health, with his lawyers saying he had the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Some sceptics thought this was just a ruse to further delay the proceedings but the diagnosis was later confirmed.

His failing health is yet more reason for Archbishop Wilson to resign now. The Catholic Church in Adelaide needs strong, decisive leadership to help repair the extensive emotional and reputational damage his court case has caused.

Having him remain in the background as he tries to clear his name will do nothing to enhance its chances of achieving this. Neither does it convince an already cynical public that the church’s leadership is truly committed to resolving the ongoing issue of child sex abuse by its priests and its habitual practice of covering it up.

Wilson sought to have his case dismissed four times. Picture: AAP / Darren Pateman

Witnesses gave evidence against Archbishop Wilson last December and again in April detailing how he had failed to act when alerted to the predatory sexual behaviour of a paedophile priest, James “Jim” Fletcher. Particularly upsetting was the appearance of a former altar boy, Peter Creigh, who told the court he had gone to Archbishop Wilson in 1976 to tell him he had been abused.

This was not the Archbishop Wilson who told me in 2001 he was committed to cleansing the church of paedophiles and ensuring their victims received appropriate support.

This was not the Archbishop Wilson who enlisted my help in 2002 to locate Brian Charles Perkins in a small Queensland town and bring him to justice.

This was not the Archbishop Wilson who assured me in 2003 that the victims of Perkins would be paid compensation and receive professional treatment.

This was not the Archbishop Wilson who showed me a draft of Towards Healing and sought my feedback on what more could be done to help victims of child sexual abuse.

And it was most definitely not the Archbishop Wilson who posed for photographs with my sons after formally making them Catholics.

No, this was an Archbishop who, according to the evidence against him, kept the sexual abuse by a clergical colleague of young boys under his care a dirty, dark secret for more than four decades.

If he did this, as Magistrate Stone has found, then he no longer deserves to be called Archbishop, he no longer deserves to live in Archbishop’s House and he no longer deserves the trust of anyone of us.

If, as he has told me and his parishioners, he is a man of faith then he must resign if their faith is to be perserved. And he has to do it today. Standing down is wholly inadequate. He has to go.

Colin James is Opinion Editor of The Advertiser.