Philip Wilson "One of the Good Guys', Senior Catholics Say, Following Adelaide Archbishop's Resignation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Senior Catholics have rallied to the defence of former Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson, who resigned after being convicted of concealing child sex abuse, saying he did "great good" that should not be forgotten. "We remember that he is a man who has done so much in child protection areas, that this archdiocese was the first to have a child protection unit, a child protection council, a police check unit, and all at the initiative of Archbishop Wilson," Port Pirie Bishop Greg O'Kelly, who has been acting as Adelaide's Archbishop, said. "We must not forget the great good he has done in those areas. "So they are the sorts of things and now he has made this decision and we have to sort of listen and try to rebuild. "Restore trust, restore confidence in people." Chief executive of Catholic Social Services Australia Frank Brennan also leapt to Wilson's defence, saying while he should have resigned when he was first convicted of concealing child sex abuse, he was still "one of the good guys". "He's finished as Archbishop and there's no way that he will exercise a senior role of governance in the Catholic Church," Father Brennan told ABC Radio Adelaide. "My point is simply that I think he is a priest in good standing and if he was wanting to engage in pastoral work of any sort, then I think that should be welcome." Wilson announced his resignation from his position as Archbishop late on Monday, with Pope Francis officially accepting the resignation. There had been intense pressure on him to step down from the role, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and other political leaders among those calling for his resignation. In May, Wilson was found guilty of covering up the abuse of children at the hands of paedophile priest Jim Fletcher in the 1970s. Wilson 'should have resigned from the beginning' Father Brennan said Wilson had voluntarily submitted his resignation letter to the Pope on July 20, and the Pope accepted 10 days later.
He told ABC News Breakfast he believed Wilson should have resigned earlier in the process, but he hoped that victims of child abuse would now feel a sense of "empowerment". "I'm one of those who from the very beginning said that he should resign," he said. "I think that basically what we were dealing with is a situation where he wanted to vindicate his rights as a citizen and exhaust his appeals. "Given the outcry and the hurt being caused to the victims, it seemed that the quicker he did resign the better it would be for everyone. "I would hope that they [victims] would be experiencing not only relief, but ironically maybe some sense of empowerment that even when there be a Catholic bishop who is firmly entrenched in his position, that if they respectfully and loudly make known their pain and their concerns, that there might be some prospects of change in governance. "I think that he did lose the plot a bit in hanging on as long as he did with this. "But you've got to remember … he was one of the good guys once the 1990s came along and once he was made a bishop in Wollongong, he cleaned up the place there, he did do a lot as Archbishop of Adelaide and was president of our Bishop's Conference." Wilson must 'accept conviction', abuse survivor says Peter Gogarty, one of several people abused as children by Fletcher in the Hunter region during the 1970s, said: "I cant help thinking he only resigned now because he's come under enormous pressure from child abuse survivors [and] his fellow bishops."
"It does provide vindication for abuse survivors. Personally I think it's vindication for years of saying people in the Catholic Church knew what was going on, not just for Fletcher, but other priests." The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president Mark Coleridge said in a statement that Wilson's resignation aimed to bring some comfort to those who were abused by Fletcher. But Mr Gogarty said it was not enough. Catholic historian Paul Collins said he believing the resignation reflected a shift in the leadership of the Catholic Church. "I'm relieved for Wilson and the Catholic Church, his position had become increasingly untenable," Mr Collins said. "From the Pope down, the whole question of sexual abuse and position of priests within the Catholic Church is being taken much more seriously. Pope Francis realised this through seeing it in his own culture." Father Brennan said he was relieved with the announcement on Monday, but he wasn't convinced it would signal the beginning of any major reform to the hierarchy or workings of the Catholic Church. "I think it's a question about mode of governance and public accountability of that," he said. "Under the code of canon law, it's up to bishops themselves to decide whether they will propose their resignation. And what we saw with Wilson, was that other bishops told him he should resign. "But it was a matter between him, the Holy See and Vatican. But I think there will be greater public accountability of those sorts of decisions."
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