Adelaide's Catholic Archbishop has pleaded not guilty to a charge of concealing child sexual abuse committed by a colleague.
Archbishop Philip Wilson was charged in March with one count of concealing information about a serious indictable offence, namely the 1971 sex assault of a 10-year-old boy by priest James Fletcher in Maitland.
Wilson, 64, was excused from appearing on Thursday at Newcastle Local Court, but his lawyer Simon Buchen said his client was pleading not guilty.
Police allege he concealed the abuse between 2004 and 2006.
Wilson has been Archbishop of Adelaide since 2001 and is believed to be the most senior Catholic official in the world to face a charge of this kind.
When the allegation was first raised earlier this year, Wilson said he was disappointed police had decided to charge him and would "vigorously" defend his innocence.
The charge follows an investigation by Strike Force Lantle, which, since 2010, has looked into allegations of concealment of child abuse by former and current clergy attached to the Catholic Church's Maitland-Newcastle Diocese.
On Thursday Mr Buchen flagged he would apply to move the case from Newcastle to Sydney.
Wilson's matter returns to court on June 17.
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