Former Archbishop Philip Wilson, until recently one of the highest ranking Catholic clergy in the world, has been spared a prison sentence despite being found guilty of concealing child sexual abuse by a pedophile priest from the authorities.

In handing down his sentence in Newcastle Local Court, magistrate Robert Stone on Tuesday stated Wilson, 67, could serve his 12-month custodial sentence in the comfort of his sister’s home, not behind bars.

Wilson, who was forced to resign as Archbishop of Adelaide in July after becoming the most senior Catholic clergyman in the world to be convicted of concealing child sex abuse, showed no emotion when the decision was handed down — and refused to apologize to victims of his crime.

As the former Archbishop left the court, Peter Gogarty — who was a victim of pedophile priest Jim Fletcher — asked Wilson to apologise but the clergyman refused to make eye…