Turnbull Calls On Pope To Sack Archbishop For Concealing Child Abuse
Rukhshan Mir (@rukhshanmir) Published July 19, 2018 | 04:46 PM
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday called on Pope Francis to sack disgraced archbishop Philip Wilson after he was convicted of covering up child sex abuse but remains employed by the church.
Sydney, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jul, 2018 ) :Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday called on Pope Francis to sack disgraced archbishop Philip Wilson after he was convicted of covering up child sex abuse but remains employed by the church.
One of the highest-ranking church officials to be convicted on the charge, the Adelaide archbishop was found guilty in May of concealing abuse by a notorious paedophile priest during the 1970s and was sentenced this month to 12 months' detention.
Wilson, 67, has stepped down from his duties but resisted calls to resign pending an appeal of his conviction, prompting Turnbull to call on the Vatican to intervene.
"He should have resigned, and the time has come for the Pope to sack him," Turnbull told reporters in Sydney.
"There are many leaders that have called on him to resign, it is clear that he should resign, and I think the time has come now for the ultimate authority in the church to take action and sack him." Turnbull was speaking ahead of a meeting Thursday with senior Catholic officials.
The Vatican declined to comment on the prime minister's remarks.
Wilson was found guilty of failing to report allegations against paedophile priest Jim Fletcher.
The archbishop has long denied the charges and his legal team made four attempts to have the case thrown out, arguing that he suffered from Alzheimer's and so should avoid trial -- even though the diagnosis did not prevent him retaining his position in the church.
Newcastle Local Court magistrate Robert Stone found Wilson guilty of concealing a serious indictable offence of another person, concluding his Primary motive was to protect the church.
In sentencing, Stone said "there is no remorse or contrition showed by the offender".
The court has adjourned the matter until August 14 to assess whether Wilson is suitable to serve the sentence under home detention.
Like elsewhere in the world, Australia has been plagued by accusations that the Catholic Church ignored and covered up child abuse.
A national inquiry into the issue was ordered in 2012 after a decade of pressure to investigate widespread allegations of institutional paedophilia.
The royal commission -- which ran for five years -- spoke to thousands of victims and heard claims of abuse involving churches, orphanages, sporting clubs, youth groups and schools.
ddc/dm/rma/klm
Recent Stories
HEC reviews curricula for environmental sciences degree programme
ICC Asia looking forward to an action-packed Asia Cricket Week
Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
Two Kyiv hospitals evacuating over feared Russian strikes
World must act on neurotech revolution, say experts
Charles & Catherine's cancer diagnoses
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
King Charles to resume some public duties during cancer treatment: palace
US defense chief announces $6 bn in security aid for Ukraine
Heavy rains cause damage to Spezand-Taftan railway track
Woman stabbed in Israel, attacker killed: police
More Stories From World
-
NFL will allow players to wear Guardian Cap helmets in games
6 hours ago -
Football: German Bundesliga table
6 hours ago -
Football: Italian Serie A result
6 hours ago -
Football: German Bundesliga results
6 hours ago -
US troops to leave Chad in second African state withdrawal
6 hours ago -
Plastics pollution may be solved without production cap: Canada minister
6 hours ago
-
Biden stalls on menthol cigarette ban fearing Black vote backlash
6 hours ago -
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
6 hours ago -
6,000 French police to welcome Olympic torch amid bonus boost
6 hours ago -
Taiwan hit by several quakes, strongest reaching 6.1-magnitude
7 hours ago -
'Ballistic' Bairstow stars as Punjab pull off record T20 chase
7 hours ago -
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 2nd update
7 hours ago