AUSTRALIA
Sky News
The Catholic archbishop of Adelaide should stand aside until the finalisation of a claim that he concealed child sexual abuse by a priest, says a victim support group.
Philip Wilson has strenuously denied a NSW police allegation that he concealed a serious offence regarding child sexual abuse in the state’s Hunter region.
The abuse was allegedly committed during the 1970s by another priest, when both men worked in the Maitland Diocese, near Newcastle.
The 64-year-old archbishop released a statement on Tuesday saying he had taken immediate leave and had retained Ian Temby QC, one of the country’s top barristers, to represent him.
But Broken Rights spokesman, Dr Bernard Barrett, said it would be ‘more credible and the public would then know they can have confidence’ if Wilson officially stood aside from his position while the criminal charge is pending.
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