A Catholic archbishop in Australia says he will appeal against his conviction for concealing child sexual abuse.

Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson was found guilty in May of covering up abuse by a paedophile priest in New South Wales.

He is the most senior Catholic globally to be convicted of the crime.

During his trial, Wilson denied that he knew of the abuse of altar boys by a paedophile priest in the 1970s. He announced his appeal on Wednesday.

“I am conscious of calls for me to resign and have taken them very seriously,” he said in a statement.

“However, at this time, I am entitled to exercise my legal rights and to follow the due process of law.”

On Tuesday, a court sentenced Wilson to a maximum of 12 months in detention.

A magistrate ordered Wilson to be assessed for “home detention” – meaning he will probably avoid jail.

This is a breaking news story – more to follow.