In short
- Christopher Saunders, 76, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for sexually abusing two young Aboriginal men during his time as a Catholic cleric.
- He was found guilty in August of one charge of rape and 12 counts of indecent assault, with the offences taking place between 2010 and 2019.
- Saunders was appointed Bishop of Broome in 1996 and resigned in 2020, when he was first accused of wrongdoing.
- He will be eligible for release on parole in February 2031.
- District Court Judge Martin Flynn said Saunders had “disregarded the dignity” of his victims and caused them lasting harm.
Christopher Saunders, the former Catholic Bishop of Broome in Western Australia, has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for sexually abusing two young Aboriginal men. The 76-year-old was jailed on Wednesday after a jury convicted him in August of one charge of rape and 12 counts of indecent assault.
Who is Christopher Saunders?
Saunders was appointed Bishop of Broome in 1996 and resigned in 2020, when he was first accused of wrongdoing. Ordained in 1976, he spent most of his career in the Kimberley region, in Australia’s north-west corner. The Diocese of Broome covers about 770,000 sq km (297,000 sq miles), an area roughly the size of Turkey.
What was he convicted of?
His trial in the state of Western Australia heard that Saunders groomed the two men, inviting them to “shirts-off” gatherings and plying them with alcohol, often using church funds and church-owned properties to do so. He was convicted of kissing and molesting the men between 2010 and 2019, and in one instance of forcing oral sex on one of them. The jury acquitted him of alleged offences against a third young man.
In a victim impact statement provided to the court, that young man said he struggled to talk about what had happened. “I was a toy that he was using,” the victim said. “My head is pounding now, I’m in so much pain.”
When will Saunders be released from prison?
District Court Judge Martin Flynn said Saunders had “disregarded the dignity” of his victims and caused them lasting harm. Saunders was given a sentence of six and a half years, but will be eligible for release on parole in February 2031.
What has the Catholic Church said?
In a statement, Archbishop of Perth Timothy Costelloe said the men who had come forward had shown great courage and resilience in pursuing justice. “We are sorry for the pain and suffering that was inflicted on you. We are sorry that your trust was so directly and profoundly betrayed by a leader of the church,” he said. “No court sentence can undo the suffering that has been caused or restore all that each person has lost.”
The church is under pressure to strip Saunders of his remaining title and ministry powers, a decision Costelloe has said would be determined by Rome. Other institutions have faced scrutiny over how they handled serious cases, including the resignation of Tennessee’s prisons chief after a failed execution in the United States.
How was the case investigated?
The accusations were first aired in 2020, but the initial police investigation that followed was closed without charge. After a historic inquiry was ordered by the pope, police began a new investigation. The inquiry comes under “Vos Estis Lux Mundi” (“You Are the Light of the World” in Latin), a system introduced in 2019 to hold bishops and other high-ranking Catholic Church officials accountable for sexual abuse; only a handful of such inquiries have been undertaken worldwide. The church’s own investigation into Saunders, paused when police resumed theirs, will restart, Costelloe has previously said.
How does the case compare with other clergy abuse cases?
Aside from the late Cardinal George Pell, who was jailed and then acquitted, Saunders is the most senior Catholic official in the country to be charged with sex offences. He is also one of the most senior Catholic leaders in the world to face such charges. Courts in several countries have handled criminal proceedings against people in positions of authority, among them the arrest of a US marine in Japan on suspicion of murder in Okinawa.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Christopher Saunders?
Christopher Saunders is a former Catholic Bishop of Broome in Western Australia, appointed in 1996 and ordained in 1976. He resigned in 2020 after being accused of wrongdoing and was convicted in August of sex offences against two young Aboriginal men.
How long will Christopher Saunders spend in prison?
Saunders was sentenced to six and a half years in prison and will be eligible for release on parole in February 2031.
What was Christopher Saunders convicted of?
A jury found him guilty of one charge of rape and 12 counts of indecent assault against two young Aboriginal men between 2010 and 2019. He was acquitted of alleged offences against a third young man.
Why did police reopen the investigation into Christopher Saunders?
The accusations were first aired in 2020, but the initial police investigation was closed without charge. Police began a new investigation after a historic inquiry was ordered by the pope under the Vos Estis Lux Mundi framework.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Church Interior — Matt Bango / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)