PM Malcolm Turnbull, Premier Steven Marshall urge Philip Wilson to resign as Adelaide Archbishop
THE Prime Minister and State Premier say Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson must resign from his post, now that he has been sentenced for covering up the sexual abuse of altar boys, as the cleric confirmed he would appeal his conviction.
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Top bishop defends handling of letter
- The letter that led to Archbishop Philip Wilson’s downfall
DISGRACED Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson must resign from his post now he has been sentenced for covering up the sexual abuse of altar boys, the Prime Minister and State Premier say.
A remorseless Wilson, 67, who on Wednesday night confirmed he would appeal his conviction, has faced widespread condemnation over his decision to remain the state’s highest ranking Catholic Church leader despite his landmark jail term.
As the Vatican stayed silent on the crisis, Malcolm Turnbull and Steven Marshall on Wednesday joined calls from victims as well as other church leaders for Wilson to quit or for Pope Francis to sack him.
The case’s main victim, Peter Aidan Creigh, contrasted Wilson’s steadfast refusal with that of Australian cricketers, who resigned in the wake of the ball tampering scandal. In a statement last night, Wilson confirmed he would appeal the court’s finding and would only resign should his appeal fail.
“I am conscious of calls for me to resign and have taken them very seriously,” he said.
“However, at this time, I am entitled to exercise my legal rights and to follow the due process of law. Since that process is not yet complete, I do not intend to resign at this time.
“However, if I am unsuccessful in my appeal, I will immediately offer my resignation to the Holy See. In the meantime, I have stood aside from all duties.”
Wilson was on Tuesday sentenced to 12 months’ jail over his silence about a paedophile priest colleague’s sex offending.
He avoided an immediate jail term at Newcastle Local Court but will likely serve a six-month non-parole period on home detention at his sister’s NSW Central Coast home.
NSW Corrections authorities are now assessing his suitability.
But if he is deemed inappropriate, Magistrate Robert Stone could next month order him into custody.
Wilson was formally convicted of concealing Father James “Jim” Patrick Fletcher’s “serious indictable” crime to authorities between April 22, 2004 and January 7, 2006, at East Maitland, near Newcastle.
Speaking on Kangaroo Island on Wednesday, Mr Turnbull said he was surprised Wilson had not resigned in the wake of his sentence.
“Certainly given the outcome of the case … he should resign,” he said.
Mr Marshall told The Advertiser Wilson’s role is untenable.
“I think that now there is no choice,” he said. “He’s been convicted, he’s been sentenced. I think it’s untenable to remain in that position.”
Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said: “Resigning immediately is the very least he can do in this circumstance.”
Mr Creigh, 57, who is recovering “very well” in Newcastle from open heart surgery, condemned Wilson’s inaction.
“If it is good enough for the nation, to demand, that our cricket captain resign over a ball incident with sandpaper, compared to the seriousness of concealing child sexual abuse, then the community should demand the resignation of the Archbishop,” he said.
The Vatican did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Retired Bishop Michael Malone, the former head of the Maitland-Newcastle diocese, said: “There is a need to step aside from his role in the church otherwise we lose any credibility we still may have.”
Another Fletcher victim, Peter Gogarty, 57, said the Catholic Church must “take a stand”.
“Wilson’s refusal to quit confirms in my mind that, not only was he motivated by the desire to protect the church but he was, and remains, motivated by his desire for prestige,” he said.
The founder of child protection foundation Bravehearts, Hetty Johnston, said Wilson should “absolutely” resign or the church should sack him.
“To do otherwise is to sanction the behaviour,” she said.
“The church has a responsibility to demonstrate to the country and to all of its followers that they are serious about protecting children. Now is the time.”
– with Elizabeth Henson
TOP BISHOP DEFENDS HANDLING OF LETTER
By Andrew Hough in Terrigal
A FORMER senior NSW Catholic bishop has defended his failure to not call in police on disgraced Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson or urge a child sex abuse victim to speak to authorities years ago.
In the wake of a 12-month jail term handed to Wilson, retired Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, Michael Malone on Wednesday told of his “regret” at how young altar boys were treated. Bishop Malone, 78, who was in charge of the diocese for seven years until he stepped down in 2011, was first told about allegations against Wilson in 2010.
The Advertiser revealed how Peter Aidan Creigh, 57, wrote to the bishop informing him that he told Wilson, then a 25-year-old junior priest, in 1976 about James Patrick Fletcher’s sexual “acts of punishment”.
The senior clergyman then visited Mr Creigh at his Newcastle home a few weeks later where they discussed a range of counselling options but not going to police. A letter he later sent in response also failed to mention contacting police.
The correspondence, discovered in 2013 by authorities involved in a special NSW inquiry, triggered Wilson’s landmark prosecution, which culminated with Tuesday’s sentencing. Bishop Malone, of Terrigal north of Sydney, on Wednesday defended his failure to contact police. He said this was because Fletcher had died in prison in 2006 while he was unsure what Wilson had done with the 1976 information.
“I very much regret what happened to Peter Creigh,” he said. “I went to see him because Jim Fletcher was dead at that point and it was not worth taking it any further.
“I did not see the need to pursue (Wilson) because of what happened. The fact that Fletcher was dead and I had no idea whether Phil had done anything. I still don’t. I have no idea.”
He said he spoke to him about counselling options, and support, within the church but never knew whether Mr Creigh accepted these offers as he had not spoken to him since.