Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called on the Pope to sack Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson.
The 67-year-old Catholic cleric was sentenced to 12 months in jail earlier this month for concealing child sexual abuse, but he plans to appeal.
"He should have resigned, and the time has come for the Pope to sack him," Mr Turnbull told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.
after being found guilty of failing to report to police the historical indecent assault of two altar boys.
Magistrate Robert Stone in Newcastle Local Court sentenced Wilson to imprisonment with a non-parole period of six months.
Pope Francis (C) during the funeral of Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, 12 July 2018. Source: AAP
However, he ordered that Wilson is assessed for home detention which would allow him to serve his sentence in the community. The matter will be heard again on August 14.
He is the most senior Catholic official in the world to be convicted of concealing child sex abuse.
Archbishop Philip Wilson leaves Newcastle Local Court, in Newcastle after sentencing, Tuesday, July 3, 2018. Source: AAP
