Adelaide Archbishop charged with concealing child sex abuse - Australia

This isn't even from the current Royal Commission into child sex abuse, but from a task force set up by the New South Wales police. A very long way from Adelaide where  Catholic Archbishop Philip Wilson was residing. Alas for him though the long arm of the law has caught up with him, even half way across Australia (interesting that actually him ending up so far away from his crimes like that.....). As I mentioned in another post, unlike Josh Duggar in the US, there are no statue of limitations on child sexual abuse in Australia.

Adelaide Catholic Archbishop Philip Wilson has been charged with concealing child sexual abuse.

The charges relate to Hunter region paedophile priest Jim Fletcher, who worked with the Archbishop in NSW in the 1970s.

Wilson announced in a statement he would take leave from his position after being notified of the charges filed against him by NSW Police.

NSW Police said its operation, Strike Force Lantle, launched in 2010, investigated allegations of concealment of serious offences related to child abuse by clergy "formerly and currently attached to the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese of the Catholic Church".

They alleged that Wilson, 64, concealed a serious offence. more

What's more, his being charged looks like it will result in more clergy coping the same fate. I wonder if George Pell is getting a mite worried by now? 

Mr Geraghty told Radio National's Religion and Ethics Report that the charging of Wilson was a big blow to the Catholic Church. 

"If Philip Wilson is getting charged, there will be others I would think going to be charged too and they'd be running for cover worrying what's going to happen," he said. 

"He's a very senior member of the clergy in Australia, he's now going to be standing up in court, he'll be addressed as the accused." more