The BBC reports he has been charged with rape and a string of historical sexual offences, some against children.

Saunders pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He was granted bail.

Saunders will appear again in the Broome Magistrates Court on 17 June 2024.

The allegations, from 2008, involve incidents in Broome and the remote towns of Kununurra and Kalumburu. The Broome diocese covers 773,000 sq km and serves a population of over 50,000.

Approximately the size of Turkey and equivalently the size of the 37th largest country in the world, the diocese has only 9 parishes, 13 Catholic schools and 1 university.

Saunders resigned as Bishop of Broome in 2021 amidst a failed police investigation and a media storm over the allegations.

The BBC reports that Saunders is well known for socialising, advocacy work and escorting young men on camping and fishing trips.

He is a long-time powerful figure within the local community. There is also a beer named after him.

Church co-operates with civil authorities

A subsequent Vatican investigation into the allegations against Saunders was initiated in 2022, further intensifying scrutiny.

At one point, the West Australian politicians accused the Church of refusing to hand the results of its investigation over to the Police.

However, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) responded firmly, denying these allegations.

It said that a copy of the Vatican report was already in the possession of Western Australia Police Deputy Commissioner Allan Adams.

"The Church and Western Australia Police remain in ongoing and collaborative contact in relation to this matter" ....... "the Church will continue to offer full transparency and cooperation with the WA Police" says a statement from the ACBC.

The results of the Vatican investigation gave West Australian Police grounds to mount a second investigation and ultimately press charges and arrest the former Broome bishop.

The ACBC, through Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, expressed its commitment to a thorough investigation.

Costelloe emphasised the church's full cooperation with police efforts and underscored the gravity of the allegations.

"Allegations against the former Bishop of Broome, Christopher Saunders, are very serious and deeply distressing, especially for those making those allegations" said Archbishop Costelloe.

"It is right and proper, and indeed necessary that all such allegations be thoroughly investigated."

The charges against Saunders come in the wake of high-profile cases within the Australian Catholic Church, including Cardinal George Pell's conviction and subsequent acquittal of child sexual abuse charges, and former Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson's overturned conviction for covering up abuse.

Sources

• BBC
• Catholic Weekly
• CathNews (Published September 25, 2023)
• RNS

A statement released overnight by the Holy See read, "The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Broome, Australia, presented by Bishop Christopher Alan Saunders".

Saunders' departure ends a nearly three-year period of turmoil within the diocese.

The 71-year-old Bishop's final 18 months in office have been marred by controversy and questions over his conduct.

He voluntarily stood aside in March last year after Kimberley Priest John Purnell went public with his concerns over the Church's lack of action on allegations of sexual misconduct against Saunders.

Saunders strenuously denied any wrongdoing and WA Police decided not to proceed with criminal charges after an extended investigation ended in May this year.

The Vatican began its own inquiry into Saunders' administration of the diocese, led by former Bishop of Wollongong Peter Ingham, and chose to send Saunders on a six-month sabbatical outside of the Kimberley.

Bishop Ingham's investigation focused on financial practices, and Saunders' management of staff, including allegations of bullying. It did not concern the allegations of sexual misconduct.

The findings of Ingham's investigation were submitted to the Holy See last year but were not made public.

Catholic Professional Standards were alerted to the allegations against Saunders within days of them being reported to WA Police in October 2018.

However, the Church chose not to take action until March last year, just hours before news reports of the police investigation were due to go to air.

The slow process left police and some diocese staff privately appalled the Church had allowed the bishop to remain physically present in Kimberley. Nevertheless, he continued to preside at mass and other religious services.

Six of the dioceses' 12 parish priests have departed since the allegations were made public. This has left many key positions vacant.

Former Kimberley priest Matt Digges, who served under Saunders for more than two decades, said the process highlighted the need for the Church to significantly reform its protocols for how it responds to allegations against senior clerics.

"It has shown that the church is lacking in oversight, mentorship and regulation of its most critical leaders, it's bishops," Mr Digges told the ABC earlier this year.

In June, Broome Monsignor Paul Boyers told Broome church-goers that the investigation was ongoing.

The resignation of the Australian bishop has thrown the future of the investigation into doubt.

Sources

• ABC
• Catholic News Agency

This decision comes just days before the Catholic Church deadline to decide Saunders' future.

The Vatican started a separate, internal investigation into his management of the diocese. He was then sent on a six-month sabbatical, which is due to end on May 28.

Bishop Saunders strenuously denied any allegations of wrongdoing. He voluntarily stood aside from his post when the allegations were made public.

Western Australia Police submitted its findings to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) late last year.

The DPP assessed the brief and recommended against filing criminal charges.

The decision was communicated to church authorities earlier this month.

It will now be up to Vatican authorities and Pope Francis to decide whether the 71-year-old bishop is allowed to return to the Kimberley. Saunders has been a deacon, parish priest, and bishop in the area for almost 50 years.

The police investigation commenced in October 2018 following allegations from a man in his early 20's. The man confided in his local priest and agreed to make a statement to the police.

The clock is now ticking for the Vatican to decide Bishop Saunders' future.

The decision will be based on the findings of the church's internal review, which was run by retired Bishop of Wollongong Peter Ingham.

Bishop Ingham travelled to Broome and interviewed dozens of parishioners, diocese staff and volunteers about the bishop's management style and financial management.

In keeping with church protocols, it did not investigate the sexual misconduct allegations, so as not to complicate the police process.

However, it did examine the bishop's decision-making in regards to separate allegations against several priests previously assigned to the diocese. This included a priest wanted for questioning over the alleged molestation of a teenage girl.

Monsignor Paul Boyers remains the day-to-day administrator of the Broome Diocese in Bishop Saunders' ongoing absence.

Sources

ABC

CathNews

The move is seen to possibly setting an international precedent.

Bishop of Broome, Christopher Saunders was sent on a six-month sabbatical in November.

The ABC reports that the Vatican has used this time to assess an internal investigation's findings into his running of the remote northern diocese.

But the report, which has not been made public, did not look at reports of sexual misconduct rather focussing on financial practices and Bishop Saunders' management of staff, including allegations of bullying.

The 71-year-old bishop has overseen the Broome diocese since 1995, and he denies any wrongdoing.

He has not been charged with any offence.

One of his most loyal and long-serving parish priests has gone public with his concerns about the situation.

Matt Digges was a child when he first met Saunders and later served under him as a priest for more than two decades.

"It seems to me that the best way forward would be for Bishop Saunders to cut ties and retire or resign.

"He is already approaching retirement age and is, we understand, in poor health, Diggs said.

"I think that would be a win-win for everybody because the longer this drags on, everybody is losing out."

Since news of the investigations became public, six of the 12 parish priests had left the Broome diocese.

Many of the positions remain vacant.

The case has highlighted the ambiguity in church protocols around how it responds to allegations of sexual misconduct made against clerics who are as senior as bishops.

While priests who have been accused are immediately stood down, bishops can only be removed by order of the Pope.

It took the Vatican more than two years to arrange for a sabbatical requiring Bishop Saunders to leave the remote Aboriginal community parishes where the allegations originated.

The saga has caused sadness among older Aboriginal parishioners in the Kimberley who grew up on Catholic missions.

They have known Bishop Saunders since he arrived in the region as a fresh-faced parish priest in the 1970s.

Yawuru and Karrajari elder Jimmy Edgar said loyalty to the church was waning. This was due to scandals overseas, and Aboriginal people reflecting on the church's practice of prohibiting cultural practices during the mission era.

"The Catholic Church gave me lots of good things in my upbringing and we used to go to church every day," Mr Edgar said.

"But it's not very nice for people like myself to go to church anymore."

Edgar did not want to comment on Saunders specifically. But he said locals were keen to know whether he would be returning.

"People have different views about it," he said.

"It could end up being a fresh change and people could go back to church again, I suppose."

The Vatican has not commented on the situation since announcing Bishop Saunders would be temporarily leaving the region.

Sources

ABC

CathNews

Bishop Christopher Saunders will take six months leave away from his outback diocese, effective immediately.

No charges have been laid, and Bishop Saunders has strenuously denied the allegations.

The Vatican says the bishop's sabbatical will help clarify matters that have created suspicion, confusion and uncertainty within the local church.

The Vatican has launched its own, separate investigation into the bishop's administration of the Broome Diocese.

Saunders is one of the longest serving bishops and has led the diocese since 1995. The diocese which covers the vast Kimberley region of northern WA has been hit by a series of scandals.

The Vatican's initial action began in March when Kimberley priest John Purnell went public with concerns over the Catholic Church's lack of action over the allegations against Bishop Saunders.

The ABC has confirmed multiple staff contacted Catholic Professional Standards with concerns. Correspondence from as early as April 2019 revealed the church was repeatedly told by multiple individuals of the allegations. They urged the church to remove the 70-year-old bishop from his post.

The bishop maintains significant support from some local parishioners. But others suggested it was untenable for him to remain in the diocese while the investigations were ongoing.

Chris, a former Kimberley priest who resigned because of his concerns over how the allegations were handled, spoke out earlier this month. He said the bishop's continuing presence in the Kimberley sent the wrong message.

"It shows that the Church has not learnt from its mistakes of the past," said Chris, who wished to remain unidentified.

"There is something terribly wrong when it cannot deal with someone as powerful as a bishop."

Monsignor Paul Boyers will lead the Broome Diocese in Bishop Saunders' absence.

Sources

ABC