Catholic Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Wilson of Australia after he was convicted in May for covering up a notorious paediatric priest, sexual invasion, in the 1970s, Vatican said on Wednesday.
Archbishop Philip Wilson
Philip Wilson, 67, was sentenced to a year in prison at Newcastle District Court earlier this month, one of the highest ecclesiastical officials convicted of the charge.
Less than two weeks ago, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was convicted by an Australian court for failing to inform Padre Jim Fletcher of the charges against Padre Jim Fletcher, asked for the dismissal of the pope.
Wilson denied the charges for years and initially refused to resign until he appealed.
According to the Australian newspaper, the prime minister told archbishops Anthony Fisher and Mark Coleridge that Wilson must resign or be dismissed by the Pope, and sent the same message to the Vatican through Australia`s ambassador Melissa Hitchman. He was told that Wilson had resigned over the weekend and announced it in Rome at noon yesterday.
"I welcome Philip Wilson`s resignation today as Archbishop Adelaide, who has been slow to recognize the many calls for his resignation, including myself. There is no more important responsibility for community and church leaders than protecting children, "Prime Minister Turnbull said last night.
Wilson was sentenced this month to six months of home detention, plus six months to be released on parole.
He will return to court on Aug. 14 to receive an assessment of whether he can serve his sentence at home. Although he may still be sent to prison, it is considered impossible because of his poor health.
