(SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER MALCOLM TURNBULL, SAYING: "He should have resigned and the time has come for the Pope to sack him." It's an appeal to a higher power to fire this man, the most senior Catholic leader in the world convicted of concealing child sexual abuse.

Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson is refusing to resign from his post.

And so on Thursday (July 19), Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull turned to the Pope. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER MALCOLM TURNBULL, SAYING: "Time has come now for the ultimate authority in the church to take action and sack him." 67 year-old Wilson was sentenced to a year's detention earlier this month.

He's stepped aside as archbishop of Adelaide, but hasn't resigned, insisting he'd only do so if he's unsuccessful in an appeal.

Wilson's lawyers have maintained that he's innocent and that he didn't know priest James Fletcher had committed child sex abuse throughout the 70s.

But the court was told two victims told Wilson about the abuse in 1976.

Earlier this year, he was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's and is due to face the court again on the 11th of August.

Wilson remains on bail.

He's being assessed by prison authorities for home detention, instead of jail.