Philip Wilson (archbishop) - Archbishop of Adelaide

Archbishop of Adelaide

In November 2000, Pope John Paul II appointed Wilson to the position of coadjutor Archbishop of Adelaide, in anticipation of the retirement of Leonard Faulkner, who was Archbishop of Adelaide at the time. At 50 years old, this appointment made Wilson the youngest Catholic Archbishop in Australia. The announcement of Wilson's promotion brought praise for the Bishop from public figures in Wollongong, with the Lord Mayor saying he had "...played a leading role in restoring the credibility of the Catholic Church here." Archbishop Faulkner described him as "...a very pastoral man and a man of the people and very gifted academically."

Wilson's welcome Mass, held in Adelaide's St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral on 1 February 2001, was the first Mass in Australia to be broadcast on the internet, recording a reported 40,000 views. Wilson spend most of 2001 learning about the archdiocese while acting as coadjutor, and was installed at a mass held on 3 December, which was attended by about 35 bishops, more than 200 priests and the Governor of South Australia Marjorie Jackson-Nelson. He celebrated Mass for the first time in St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Adelaide on 9 December 2001.

In 2002, Wilson became the first Australian archbishop to be invited to address a session of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The session was held in the wake of an emergency meeting between American bishops and Pope John Paul II regarding the sex-abuse crisis within the Church. Wilson was chosen to address the conference because of his experience dealing with clerical crimes while bishop of Wollongong.