Australian jury convicts former Catholic bishop of sexually abusing 2 men
Summary
An Australian jury found former Catholic Bishop Christopher Saunders guilty of sexually abusing two young Indigenous men between 2008 and 2019. Saunders was convicted on 13 charges, including sexual penetration without consent and indecent assault, related to incidents in his large Broome Diocese in northwest Australia.Key Facts
- Christopher Saunders, 76, is a former Catholic Bishop of Broome in Western Australia.
- He was convicted of 13 sexual abuse charges out of 19 total charges.
- The abuse involved two young Indigenous men and took place between 2008 and 2019.
- Saunders allegedly used free alcohol and cigarettes, paid with church money, to lure victims to his church-owned house.
- Guests at the house were required to remove their shirts as a house rule.
- He was acquitted of six other charges, including those involving a third alleged victim.
- The Diocese of Broome is very large, covering an area bigger than France but with only about 50,000 people, most of whom are Indigenous Catholics.
- Saunders resigned in 2021 after police dropped an earlier investigation but was later charged again following a renewed police probe prompted by a Vatican report.
- A national inquiry found that 7% of Australian Catholic priests were accused of sexually abusing children between 1950 and 2010.
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