ULTIMO (AUSTRALIA)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
July 20, 2018
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called on the Pope to “sack” Adelaide’s Archbishop Philip Wilson.
Wilson was convicted of covering up abuse by priest Jim Fletcher in the NSW Hunter region in the 1970s, making him the most senior Catholic in the world to be convicted of concealing sexual abuse.
He was sentenced to 12 months’ detention, eligible for parole after six months, but has said he will lodge an appeal against his conviction.
The Archbishop has refused to quit his post, and Mr Turnbull has previously said Wilson should resign — a call echoed by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and South Australian Premier Steven Marshall.
Today the Prime Minister intensified the pressure on the Catholic Church by saying “the time has come for the Pope to sack him”.
Key points:
– Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull calls on Pope Francis to sack Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson
– Wilson is the most senior Catholic in the world to be convicted of concealing child sexual abuse
– Wilson has stepped aside from his duties, but will only resign if his appeal against his sentence is unsuccessful
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