Australian bishop becomes one of world’s most senior Catholic leaders to be jailed for sexual abuse
Por Maroosha Muzaffar — – World RSS Feed
Australian bishop becomes one of world’s most senior Catholic leaders to be jailed for sexual abuse
Christopher Saunders, 76, served as Bishop of Broome from 1996 until 2020
Maroosha Muzaffar Wednesday 07 October 2026 09:05 BST
- Bookmark
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks
Close popover
Become an Independent member to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.
Already a member?
Log in
Former bishop Christopher Saunders has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for sexually abusing two young Aboriginal men while serving in the remote Kimberley region.
Saunders, 76, was convicted in August on one charge of rape and 12 counts of indecent assault.
He was accused of offences against three men, but was acquitted of charges relating to one of them.
He will be eligible for parole in February 2031.
Saunders was ordained a priest in 1976 and became Bishop of Broome in 1996. He held the position until 2020, when he resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged.
The Diocese of Broome covers an area roughly the size of Turkey and is home to some of Australia’s most remote communities. Indigenous people account for more than 40 per cent of the population of Kimberley in Western Australia.
Saunders committed the offences against the two men between 2010 and 2019 at several locations, including a church-owned residence in Broome and a retreat known as the “beach house”.
Saunders cultivated relationships with young men and invited them to gatherings where they were encouraged to remove their shirts as he supplied them with food and alcohol, the court heard.
Prosecutors said that Saunders used his feet to touch young men sexually, kissed them on their lips, grabbed their “privates” and, in one instance, forced oral sex on one of the victims.
Judge Martin Flynn said Saunders had “disregarded the dignity” of his victims and their right to freely decide “what they do with their body”.
One of the victims, who was abused over several years, described the lasting impact of the offences.
“I was a toy he was using,” he said in a statement to the court. “My head is pounding now, I am in so much pain. I can’t talk about it. I couldn’t tell anybody I was ashamed of myself. I’m still ashamed of myself. I want to move on but I can’t move on because it doesn’t leave my head.”
The judge considered character references submitted on Saunders’s behalf, including from people who said his offending was “not in character”, but found they didn’t know Saunders well enough and gave no weight to their evidence, according to the ABC.
On the other hand, at least two witnesses at the trial urged the Vatican to revoke his title as bishop emeritus.
Saunders didn’t give evidence in his defence during the trial, meaning jurors heard his denials only through recordings of police interviews.
Saunders is among the most senior Catholic officials in Australia to face criminal charges for sexual abuse. The late Cardinal George Pell, convicted and jailed before being acquitted, remains the most senior Australian Catholic figure to have faced such charges.
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, the president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, apologised for “the pain and suffering that was inflicted” on the victims.
“We are sorry that your trust was so directly and profoundly betrayed by a leader of the Church,” he said in a statement.
He added that the organisation would redouble efforts at “safeguarding, accountability and transparency”.
New Broome Bishop Tim Norton said “the sentence cannot heal the damage done”.
Private investigator Tim Murray, hired by the Vatican when the allegations against Saunders came to light, told The Sydney Morning Herald: “I just hope the young Indigenous people in the Kimberley can start to heal. I really think it’s a good day for Western Australia as it’s very hard to bring such a powerful man down. Who knows what damage has already been done to these young people.”
More about
Western AustraliaAustraliaCatholic ChurchGeorge Pell
Most popular
Popular videos
Bulletin
Read next
Fonte: – World RSS Feed