Wilson should not be allowed to remain an archbishop while he appeals against his conviction, says Turnbull, who is a Catholic.

The National Council of Priests (NCP) in Australia agrees with Turnbull.

"While the Archbishop is exercising his constitutional right to appeal his conviction, his tenure as Archbishop of Adelaide has been compromised," a statement from the NCP says.

"For the good of the Church in Australia and for the benefit of the People of God in the Archdiocese of Adelaide, the Executive of the NCP requests that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, removes Archbishop Philip Wilson from his See." Turnbull's is one of a number of voices calling for Wilson's resignation.

Although they have not sought papal intervention, a number of leading Australian prelates have also called for Wilson's resignation. They include Melbourne's Archbishop-elect Peter Comensoli, who will soon lead the nation's largest diocese.

"I think the path he is taking is not of benefit for God's people in Adelaide, so I along with a number of other bishops have sought to counsel Philip in that regard," Comensoli says.

"There are many leaders that have called on him to resign, it's clear that he should resign and I think the time has come now for the ultimate authority in the church to take action and sack him."

While Wilson stood down from his position as archbishop days after being convicted for covering up child sexual abuse, he is adamant he will resign only if his appeal fails.

"I am conscious of calls for me to resign and have taken them very seriously," he said earlier this month.

"However, at this time, I am entitled to exercise my legal rights and to follow the due process of law. Since that process is not yet complete, I do not intend to resign at this time."

Wilson will return to court in August, when he will be told if he will serve his sentence in prison or at his sister's house in home detention.

He must serve a minimum of six months before becoming eligible for parole.

Source

• Eureka Street
• NZ Herald
• Crux
• Guardian
• Image:ABC

Archbishop Wilson has previously pleaded not guilty to concealing the serious indictable offence of another person.

The charge relates to when Wilson was an assistant parish priest in the 1970s and worked with paedophile priest James Fletcher.

Wilson's lawyer sought a permanent stay of proceedings.

He also told Newcastle Local Court he would be filing an application seeking a court attendance notice be quashed.

The magistrate has set a date for a one-day hearing in December to hear the legal argument from both sides.

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Archbishop Wilson, who is vice-president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, faces one count of concealing a child sex allegation made against the late Hunter priest Fr Jim Fletcher in the 1970s.

In May, 2014, a New South Wales special commission of inquiry found there was "sufficient evidence warranting the prosecution of a senior church official in connection with the concealment of child sexual abuse relating to Fletcher".

The inquiry's report on Fletcher was kept confidential to protect future potential criminal proceedings and it did not name the senior church official.

Archbishop Wilson issued a statement denying the charge and stating he would vigorously defend it.

"The suggestion appears to be that I failed to bring to the attention of police a conversation I am alleged to have had in 1976, when I was a junior priest, that a now deceased priest had abused a child," he said.

"From the time this was first brought to my attention last year, I have completely denied the allegation."

Archbishop Wilson also reaffirmed his commitment "to dealing proactively with the issue of child sexual abuse and the implementation of best-practice child protection measures which I have pioneered since becoming a bishop".

The archbishop has taken indefinite leave while he defends the matter.

He is due to appear in court in Newcastle on April 30.

He could face up a jail sentence of up to two years, if found guilty.

In 2004, Fletcher was jailed over the rape of a boy between 1989 and 1991. He died while serving his sentence.

The special commission identified at least five known victims of Fletcher, who had an "extensive history" of abuse dating back to the 1970s.

One of Fletcher's victims, Peter Gogarty, said the charge against Archbishop Wilson was a very significant occasion for Australia.

He did not believe a senior Catholic clergyman would ever be charged with concealing a child sex allegation because "it was like a hill too high".

Sources

• The Guardian
• ABC Online
• Sydney Morning Herald
• Image: The Guardian