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Pope replaces convicted Australian cleric

Published

6 years ago

June 3, 2018

Pope Francis has appointed a bishop to administer an Australian archdiocese whose archbishop was convicted of covering up for a pedophile priest .The Vatican said Sunday that Bishop Gregory O ’ Kelly, an Adelaide native , will serve as apostolic administrator for the Adelaide archdiocese .

Two weeks ago , Archbishop Philip Wilson became the most senior Catholic cleric worldwide to be convicted of covering up child sex abuse. He faces a possible two -year prison term .

Also in Australia , Cardinal George Pell , who was one of the pope ’ s top aides when he served as Vatican finance minister , faces trial on sexual assault charges .

Francis recently insisted that top clerics be held responsible for failing to swiftly crack down on pedophile priests.

Decades- long pedophile scandals and systematic cover -ups have stained the Catholic Church ’ s reputation .