The emeritus bishop of Broome, Christopher Saunders, 76, has been found guilty of 13 sexual offenses against two young Aboriginal men in Western Australia.
The jury convicted him on twelve counts of sexual assault and one of penetration without consent, while acquitting him of six others.
Among the victims is a young man who was 16 when the abuse began and who, according to the prosecution during the trial, felt that he “could not say no” to the then-bishop.
The verdict comes after years of accusations against Saunders and a complex path both within the Church and before the Australian justice system.
An initial police investigation ended without charges in 2021 due to lack of evidence, but the case was reopened after a canonical investigation ordered by the Vatican under the norms of Vos estis lux mundi produced a report that was handed over to the authorities.
Saunders was finally arrested in February 2024.
One victim was 16 when the abuse began
Most of the charges were related to a victim who was 16 when the sexual contact began and 19 when it ended.
Although the general age of consent in Western Australia is 16, the law raises that age to 18 when the adult occupies a position of trust, power or authority.
Under canon law, moreover, all persons who have not reached the age of 18 are considered minors.
The prosecutor argued during the trial that the young man felt “shame” about what had happened, but believed he “could not say no.”
Saunders was also accused of offenses against a 24-year-old man and another who was in his late teens.
The jury ultimately acquitted him of the charges related to a third person.
The prosecution presented to the court a pattern of approaching young Aboriginal men that involved alcohol, cigarettes, money and other gifts.
According to AP, prosecutors argued that Saunders took young men to a Church residence in Broome and provided them with alcohol and tobacco paid for with Church funds.
The defense acknowledged during the proceedings that the bishop organized parties with abundant alcohol at which invited young men could end up partially naked, but denied that his behavior was sexual in nature.
Attorney Tony Hager admitted that those situations could even be “sordid,” although he maintained that they did not constitute sexual offenses.
The jury, after three weeks of trial, found 13 of the charges proven.
Another Australian bishop testified against Saunders
One of the most significant episodes in the proceedings was the appearance as a prosecution witness of the bishop of Geraldton, Michael Morrissey.
Morrissey was directly familiar with the situation in Broome because he served as apostolic administrator of the diocese after Saunders’ removal and until the appointment of a new bishop in 2024.
He testified before the court about Saunders’ consumption of alcohol during encounters with young men that were presented as part of his “pastoral” activity.
The accusations surrounding the bishop were not limited to possible sexual offenses.
When he left the governance of the diocese in 2020, complaints had also emerged about the spending of hundreds of thousands of dollars of Church funds on gifts for vulnerable young men, including cash, mobile phones, alcohol and trips.
Saunders formally resigned as bishop of Broome in 2021, citing health problems.
The Church investigation allowed the case to be reopened
Police had closed an initial investigation against Saunders in 2021 without bringing charges due to lack of evidence.
Subsequently, the Holy See opened an investigation under Vos estis lux mundi, the ecclesiastical norms for investigating, among other things, certain sexual offenses and cover-up conduct committed by bishops.
The findings of that investigation were handed over to the authorities in Western Australia.
The documentation led police to revisit the case and resulted in a second investigation and the arrest of the former bishop in February 2024.
Leaked portions of the ecclesiastical report described, according to Australian media, a prolonged pattern of approaching dozens of vulnerable young men through gifts, money, alcohol and other favors.
The Australian Episcopal Conference had initially indicated that the Church investigation had not identified alleged or potential victims under the age of 18.
The court verdict has now found Saunders guilty of sexual offenses against a young man who was 16 when the events began.
Saunders’ canonical case has been before the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith since 2023, according to previous statements by the Episcopal Conference itself.
Saunders ignored a Vatican order to leave the diocese
After his resignation and the opening of the canonical investigation, the Vatican ordered Saunders to reside outside the diocese of Broome.
The former bishop disobeyed that order and continued living in a Church property in Broome.
The U.S. outlet also reported that Saunders maintained considerable influence over diocesan affairs after his resignation.
In December 2023 he was still listed as the person responsible for nine Catholic charitable organizations in his former diocese, several of them related to local parishes.
Broome is a particularly large and sparsely populated diocese, located in the far northwest of Australia.
It comprises the Kimberley and Pilbara regions and serves around 15,000 Catholics, with a significant presence of Aboriginal population.
The new bishop asks forgiveness from the victims
Timothy Norton, who took office as bishop of Broome in December 2024, published a pastoral letter after the verdict in which he thanked the police and prosecutors for their work in bringing the case before a jury.
Norton especially highlighted the courage of the victims, survivors and witnesses who decided to testify after a prolonged and difficult process.
“We deeply regret the harm they have suffered. We regret the shame they have endured. We regret that it has taken so long for their voices to be heard and their pain to be acknowledged,” he said.
The current bishop also committed to visiting the communities of the diocese over the coming months to carry out a process of listening and accompaniment.
Saunders remains in custody after not requesting the continuation of his bail following the verdict.
The hearing to determine his sentence is scheduled for September 21.
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