Archbishop Philip Wilson is the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Adelaide, a position which he has held since 2001. He is also the Vice President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, a position which he has held since 2012.
Prior to his appointment as Archbishop of Adelaide, Archbishop Wilson was the Bishop of Wollongong from 1996 to 2000 and prior to that was the Vicar General of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.
Archbishop Wilson has been charged by Strike Force Lantle of the NSW Police with allegedly concealing a serious offence regarding child sexual abuse in the Hunter Region of NSW.
Archbishop Wilson strongly maintains his innocence in relation to the matter with which he has been charged.
The presumption of innocence applies to Archbishop Wilson as it does to all citizens subject to criminal charges before the court.
I urge people not to make any judgement until the charge against Archbishop Wilson has been dealt with by the court.
I hope that this matter will be resolved without undue delay.
No further comment will be made while this matter is before the court.
Archbishop Denis Hart DD
President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference