The most senior Catholic in the world to be convicted of concealing child sex abuse, Adelaide's Archbishop Philip Wilson, has been sentenced to 12 months' detention.



Magistrate Robert Stone adjourned the matter to August 14 while Wilson is assessed for home detention.

He will be eligible for parole after six months.

In May, the 67-year-old was found guilty of concealing the sexual abuse of children between 2004 and 2006 at the hands of paedophile priest Jim Fletcher in the 1970s.

In sentencing, Mr Stone said "there is no remorse or contrition showed by the offender".

"I am of the opinion the sentence should not be suspended. It does not support the terms of general deterrence.

"On that basis, the only available remaining option is full-time imprisonment or home detention."

Archbishop Wilson's sister's home will also be assessed for home detention ahead of the decision next month.

The court can request an assessment for home detention after sentencing an offender to a term of imprisonment of no more than 18 months.

Abuse survivor Peter Gogarty said the sentence was disappointing, but still significant. ( ABC News: Nancy Notzon )

'Community devastated by decades of abuse'

Mr Stone said protecting the Catholic Church was the archbishop's "primary motive".



"There are no other rational explanations for the offender's conduct."

However, Mr Stone said he accepted Archbishop Wilson was unlikely to reoffend.

"The whole of the community is devastated in so many ways by decades of abuse," Mr Stone said.

Wilson is one of the few clerics to have been charged with concealing child abuse and he is believed to be the first Australian clergymen convicted of the offence.

Crown prosecutor Gareth Harrison told Newcastle Local Court during sentencing submissions in June that he could find no other previous cases.

Survivor 'disappointed', but says sentence still significant

Sorry, this video has expired Victims react to Archbishop Wilson's sentencing

Abuse survivor Daniel Feenan was emotional as Mr Stone delivered remarks about Wilson's "good character", shaking his head and blinking away tears.

Throughout the courtroom supporters of abuse survivors also shook their heads in apparent disagreement.

Fellow abuse survivor Peter Gogarty said he was a bit disappointed by the sentence.

"My personal view is that … is probably letting him off a little bit too lightly," he said.

"I'm disappointed that it's not a custodial sentence."

However, Mr Gogarty said it was still significant.

"One way or the other, the archbishop has been convicted of concealing the abuse of children," Mr Gogarty said.

"We have made history here in Australia.

"The highest ranking church official to ever be brought to account [for] what we know was a worldwide, systematic abuse of children and the concealment of that abuse."

Church not calling for his resignation

There have been consistent calls among abuse survivors for Wilson to step down as archbishop, but the church has not called for it.

In a statement, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said: "The effects of sexual abuse can last a lifetime, but we hope that [Tuesday]'s custodial sentence brings some sense of peace and healing to those abused by deceased priest James Fletcher".

Earlier, the Apostolic Administrator of the Adelaide Archdiocese, Bishop Greg Kelly, said the church must listen to and support victims.

"We should be very aware of the impact on survivors, their families and all those who love them," he said.

"I have witnessed the anguish and grief of victims."

After his conviction in May, Wilson stepped aside from his position as archbishop.

"If he doesn't resign, then I think they [the Vatican] will now move to ask him to resign," Catholic commentator and former priest Paul Collins said.

"That's the distinction you have to make. The hierarchy have been very silent on it [Wilson's case].

"They've said virtually nothing and anything that they have said is not worth considering nor reporting for that matter.

"However, when you talk about the church, there are a lot more people in the Catholic Church than the bishops and a lot of us have been speaking, a lot of us have spoken out."

Mr Collins said he hoped Wilson's case and the royal commission would stimulate changes within the church to move towards a more democratic and less hierarchical structure.

"If the archbishop does not resign, then the Catholic Church becomes a bigger laughing stock than it already is," abuse survivor Peter Gogarty said outside court.

'No one above the law'

The full impact of the case is yet to be seen, but former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions and now adjunct professor of law, Nick Cowdery AM QC, said it could encourage those who have concealed abuse to come forward and it could give confidence to prosecutors.

"This case shows that where that evidence is available, really these cases should be prosecuted and the courts will deal with them very seriously," Mr Cowdery said.

"It demonstrates... nobody is above the law. It doesn't matter how senior a position you occupy...or how much respect you have gained in the course of your career.

"I think it sends a very strong message because deprivation of one's liberty is the ultimate penalty that can be imposed on any offender in our system.

Mr Cowdery said it also sends a message to jurisdictions that do not have a criminal provision for concealing abuse.

"If you don't have an offence of this kind on your books, it is appropriate to do so because the greater good can be served by dealing with people who cover up this form of very cruel abuse."