Christopher Saunders: Former Bishop of Broome charged with rape in Australia
Australian bishop Christopher Saunders has been accused of rape and a series of historical sexual offenses, including some involving children.
The 74-year-old was taken into custody in Broome on Wednesday following investigations launched by both Western Australian police and the Pope.
Saunders, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, was denied bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
He is among the highest-ranking Catholic officials to face charges of this nature.
Saunders faces two charges of rape, 14 counts of unlawful and indecent assault, and three counts of indecently dealing with a child while in a position of authority.
The alleged incidents occurred in the remote Western Australian towns of Broome, Kununurra, and the Aboriginal community of Kalumburu between 2008 and 2014.
Apart from the late Cardinal George Pell, who was convicted and later acquitted, Saunders is the most senior Catholic figure in the country to be accused of child sex offenses.
In a statement released on Thursday, The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference pledged to collaborate with law enforcement and acknowledged that the charges against Saunders were “very serious and deeply distressing, especially for those making the allegations.”
“It is right and proper, and indeed necessary, that all such allegations be thoroughly investigated,” Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe said.
First ordained in 1976, Mr Saunders has spent most of his career in the remote Kimberley region in the nation’s north-west corner, and was appointed Bishop of Broome in 1996.
The diocese stretches about 770,000 sq km (297,000 sq miles) – an area roughly the size of Turkey – and encompasses some of the most remote parts of the country.
Well known for socialising, his advocacy work, and escorting young men on camping and fishing trips, Mr Saunders has long been a powerful figure within the local community. He even has a beer named after him.
The accusations were first aired in 2020, but the initial police investigation that followed was closed without charge.
He voluntarily stood down as the Bishop of Broome in 2020, but remains an emeritus bishop.
However after a historic inquiry was ordered by the Pope, police began a new investigation.
Only a handful of Vos Estis Lux Mundi inquiries have been undertaken around the world. Meaning “You Are the Light of the World” in Latin, Vos Estis investigations are commissioned by the pontiff and were introduced in 2019 to combat sexual abuse and take action against bishops and other high-ranking officials in the Catholic Church.
