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Sidney.- An Australian Archbishop found guilty of hiding abusing pedophiles, one of the highest ranking clerics of the world Catholic hierarchy to be involved in such a case He was sentenced Tuesday to 12 months in prison but could leave prison.
In May, Philip Wilson (67 years), Archbishop of Adelaide, was convicted of hiding the abuses committed in the 1970s by the priest Jim Fletcher in the Hunter region (New South Wales), refraining from reporting the charges against Fletcher.
The clergyman denied all charges. His supporters have tried four times to abandon the proceedings against him, alleging that he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease to avoid a trial, although he continued to retain his duties within the Church.
The Newcastle court found him guilty of concealing a serious crime by which a third party could have been tried.
The same court sentenced him to 12 years in prison, with no possibility of early release for six months.
But Justice Robert Stone stayed the hearing until August 14 to determine whether the Archbishop could be allowed to serve his sentence at a parent's home. He faced a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
The judge argued that "the convict did not register any remorse," according to the ABC press group.
The sexual abuse of a choir boy by Fletcher now deceased, was not dealt with at the hearing but the court wanted to determine if Philip Wilson at that time At the time, a young priest knew them.
He was pastor of New South Wales before being appointed bishop of Wollongong in 1996. Five years later, he was appointed archbishop.
When he was found guilty, he was granted leave but did not resign
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