one of australia's most prominent clerics, the catholic archbishop of adelaide, philip wilson, has appearedovering up child abuse in the 1970s. he says he's innocent. the trial started on wednesday and continues today. let's get more from the bbc‘s phil mercer in sydney. well, prosecutors at the court in newcastle, this is an industrial centre to the north of sydney, allege that archbishop philip wilson covered up abuse in the hunter valley region of new south wales in the 1970s when he was a priest. it's alleged that he ignored the crimes of a fellow priest who was abusing an altar boy. it's also alleged that the archbishop back in the 1970s paid thousands of dollars to silence complainants from making their voices heard against abuse within the catholic church. his legal team says that given his fragile physical and mental state, they don't believe he should be fit enough to stand trial in the first place. they say he had a recent diagnosis of alzheimer's and he is mentally shaky and not able to give evidence. but those concerns have been dismissed and the archbishop has gone on trial and

and, as you say, these are charges that archbishop philip wilson denies and his legal team says thats that given his fragile physical and mental state, they don't believe he should be fit enough to stand trial in the first place. phil, i believe he's the most senior catholic official in the world to be accused of the cover—up of sexual abuse of children? that's right. and legal observers believe that the hearing in newcastle here in eastern australia could well be a landmark te5t in eastern australia could well be a landmark test case. we've heard over recent yea r5 landmark test case. we've heard over recent years from a royal commission investigating institutional respon5e5 investigating institutional responses to child abuse in australia, not just in responses to child abuse in australia, notjust in religious organisations but in schools, in the military, in charitie5 organisations but in schools, in the military, in charities and other institutions, and there have been allegations that abuse in the past has been covered up. so it's not only a case pertinent to archbishop philip w