OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - Archbishop Wilson of Adelaide re-elected President of Australian Catholic Bishops Conference

Sydney (Agenzia Fides) - The bishops of Australia have re-elected Archbishop Philip Wilson, Archbishop of Adelaide, as the President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC). Archbishop Wilson has been the President for four years, and this is his final term. Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne was elected Vice-President. Two bishops were elected to the permanent committee which oversees the business of the Bishops Conference. These bishops are Cardinal George Pell of Sydney and Bishop Gerard Holohan of Bunbury. Also elected were two bishops to serve as representatives of the Australian church on the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania (FCBCO); They are Bishop Christopher Prowse (Bishop of Sale) and Bishop Brian Finnigan (Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane). Archbishop Wilson was pleased to be re-elected as President of the Conference: “It is a blessing and honour to have the confidence of my brother bishops to lead the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. I pray that in these challenging times that the Catholic Church in Australia will continue to be an effective witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ”, said Archbishop Wilson. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 10/5/2010)