AUSTRALIA
Adelaide Now
Andrew Dowdell
The Advertiser
THE Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, will return to his post next month despite still facing criminal charges of concealing child sexual abuse.
Archbishop Wilson has been on leave since March after he was charged by NSW Police with allegedly concealing sexual abuse perpetrated in the 1970s by his then-housemate, paedophile priest James Patrick Fletcher.
The Archbishop, who has maintained his public silence since being charged, on Wednesday announced he would return to his duties in January through a letter addressed to “priests, deacons, religious and to all people of the Archdiocese of Adelaide”.
“Some people may disagree with my decision and I respect that,” Archbishop Wilson wrote.
“In no way should this decision be interpreted as my not taking this matter very seriously. On the contrary, I take the charge extremely seriously.”
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