An Australian magistrate has found Philip Wilson, 67, the Catholic archbishop of Adelaide and former president of the Australian bishops’ conference, guilty of failing to inform police about allegations of the sexual abuse of minors by a priest in the 1970s. He will be sentenced in June and faces a maximum penalty of up to two years in prison.
The court heard from two witnesses who charged that as altar boys, at ages 10 and 11, respectively, they were sexually abused by a priest, the Rev. Jim Fletcher, in the state of New South Wales. The first victim told the court that five years after the abuse happened he told Archbishop Wilson, then an assistant priest in his parish, about the abuse, but he did nothing about it. The second survivor testified that he told Father Wilson in confession about the abuse, but he dismissed it arguing that the priest was “a good bloke” and told the boy to recite the Hail Mary 10 times as an act of contrition.
Archbishop Philip Wilson will be sentenced in June and faces a maximum penalty of up to two years in prison.
The priest abuser, Father Fletcher, was found guilty of nine counts of child sexual abuse and sentenced to eight years in prison in 2004, but two years later he suffered a stroke and died in jail.
Archbishop Wilson categorically denied being told about the abuse and told the court, “I don’t think I would have forgotten that.”
The magistrate, Robert Stone, was not convinced by his denial; he did not accept that Archbishop Wilson could not remember a conversation in 1976 in which Peter Creigh, then a 15-year-old described how Father Fletcher had abused him some years earlier, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. He found Mr. Creigh to be a truthful and reliable witness who “had no motive or interest to deceive or make up the conversation,” while Archbishop Wilson knew “what he was hearing was a credible allegation, and the accused wanted to protect the church and its reputation.”
He judged that the case against Archbishop Wilson was “proven” and found him guilty. He will sentence him in June.
Archbishop Wilson categorically denied being told about the abuse and told the court, “I don’t think I would have forgotten that.”
Mr. Creigh broke down in tears after the verdict, ABC reported.
Speaking after the magistrate had issued his verdict in Newcastle local country, New South Wales, Archbishop Wilson said in a statement to the media: “I am obviously disappointed at the decision published today. I will now have to consider the reasons and consult closely with my lawyers to determine my next steps.”
There are several aspects of the archbishop’s case that should be noted. First, while the archbishop adamantly protested his innocence throughout a court hearing that dragged on for nearly four years, his legal team resisted every attempt to have the case be sent for trial by jury and sought four times to get the case dismissed, arguing recently that since he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, this precluded him from standing trial.
Second, due to the allegations and court case, Archbishop Wilson’s health has suffered, as has his effectiveness as a bishop. Nevertheless, he led the diocese throughout these four years, whereas any other priest in a similar circumstance would have been permanently stepped down, sources in Australia told America.
The church in Australia has been under scrutiny not only by the judicial authorities but also the Royal Commission.
Third, according to sources in Australia, the historical nature of the case is problematic, as Archbishop Wilson is charged on a questionable interpretation of an already contentious reporting law in the Crimes Act.
Fourth, while the Wilson case is less high-profile than that of Cardinal George Pell, who has been sent for trial by jury on historical charges of abuse, it is nonetheless highly significant because he was president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference from 2006 to 2012; he is a leading figure in the church in Australia, which has been under scrutiny not only by the judicial authorities but also the Royal Commission. The latter showed that 7 percent of Catholic priests working in Australia between 1950 and 2010 have been accused of child sex crimes, involving more than 4,000 children whose average age was 11.
In a statement to the press after the verdict on May 22, Archbishop Mark Coleridge, the newly elected president of the Australian Bishops Conference, said: “Archbishop Philip Wilson has today been found guilty of failing to inform police about allegations of child sexual abuse. Archbishop Wilson maintained his innocence throughout this long judicial process. It is not yet clear if he will appeal the appeal the verdict.”
He went on to state: “The Catholic Church, like other institutions, has learned a great deal about the tragedy of child sexual abuse and has implemented stronger programs, policies and procedures to protect children and vulnerable adults. The safety of children and vulnerable adults is paramount for the Church and its ministries.”
The A.C.B.C. refused to comment on Philip Wilson’s future as an archbishop. The Vatican has yet to comment.
