An Australian district court found Bishop Christopher Saunders guilty of committing over a dozen counts of sexual abuse against three young Aboriginal men.
According to Australian public broadcaster ABC, Bishop Saunders, 76, was convicted Aug. 13 of one count of sexual penetration and 12 counts of indecent assault that were committed while he led the Diocese of Broome.
However, he was found not guilty of six other abuse-related charges.
According to ABC, the victims were part of the Indigenous Aboriginal community residing in the region of Western Australia known as the Kimberley. Prosecutors said that the abuses occurred in several areas, including the bishop's residence in Broome and a beach house.
He stepped away from administrative duties when the accusations first surfaced and resigned in 2021. During the trial, the bishop's lawyer, Tony Hager, dismissed the accusations against his client, describing Bishop Saunders' behavior as "boozy" and "sleazy" but not criminal.
ABC reported that Hager also told the jury that the bishop "wasn't on trial in Rome" nor "standing before the pope" to justify his pastoral care of the diocese. He also cast doubt on the accusations against the bishop, suggesting that the victims' memories were affected by alcohol.
Bishop Saunders is expected to return to court Sept. 21 to face sentencing, ABC reported.
According to a 2022 statement published by the Australian bishops' conference, the Vatican opened a canonical investigation into the allegations against Bishop Saunders that year and appointed retired Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane to oversee the process.
Archbishop Coleridge, the statement noted, issued a decree "stipulating that Bishop Saunders is to reside outside the Diocese of Broome for the duration of the investigation."
A year later, in September 2023, the conference issued a clarification regarding the investigation, including the revelation that "Bishop Saunders refused to leave the diocese and chose not to participate in the Church's investigation within the deadline of six months initially stipulated by the Vatican."
"The investigation by the Church included both alleged canonical crimes, as defined by 'Vos Estis Lux Mundi,' and alleged breaches of the Church's Integrity in Ministry protocols," the conference said.
Published in 2019 and updated in 2023, "Vos Estis Lux Mundi" ("You Are the Light of the World") outlines the Catholic Church's procedures for investigating allegations of sexual abuse or the cover-up of abuse.
According to the conference, the Church's investigation was suspended during the police's investigation and during the trial.
Following the guilty verdict, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth, president of the Australian Bishops' Conference, issued a statement saying that the abuses committed by Bishop Saunders "represent a betrayal of everything the gospel and the Catholic Church stand for."
"They are a violation of the human dignity of victims and survivors and a complete betrayal of their trust: these crimes deserve the strongest condemnation," Archbishop Costelloe wrote.
He also commended the bravery of the survivors and witnesses who came forward, showing "great courage, commitment and resilience through a long and difficult process."
"The Catholic community in Broome, and more widely in Western Australia and the rest of our nation, owes them a great debt of gratitude," he wrote. "While the horrors of abuse occur in secret, it is the courage of those who bring these horrors into the open which enables accountability and, through that accountability, the beginning of healing."
Regarding the canonical investigation against Bishop Saunders, Archbishop Costelloe said that with the conclusion of the trial, "the Church's investigation can now recommence."
"Decisions about the position of the former bishop of Broome in the Church will therefore be determined by Rome," he wrote.
Addressing the pauses to the canonical investigation, the archbishop of Perth said the temporary suspension while "formal police inquiries" were taking place was necessary to avoid "any possibility of Church actions interfering with or compromising the integrity of the police investigations."
Calling the failures of the Church in Australia "distressing, demoralizing and humbling," Archbishop Costelloe said the Church "must never think that the sexual abuse crisis is somehow behind us."
"We must never relax our vigilance or lower our expectations in relation to safeguarding. There is still much to do," he said.
Bishop Tim Norton, who was appointed to lead the Diocese of Broome by Pope Francis in 2024, acknowledged the verdict and apologized to survivors for the pain they endured and "that it has taken so long for their voices to be heard and for their pain to be acknowledged."
In a pastoral letter published Aug. 13, Bishop Norton also recognized the sense of betrayal felt across the diocese by "those who have placed their trust in our leadership and our Church."
"How could such a proud, caring and determined diocese that features such remarkable communities and people be home to such a betrayal of trust? How could our diocesan leadership be involved in such heartless events?" he asked.
Bishop Norton said the response to those questions was a renewed commitment to safeguarding and accountability, and pledged to create "an environment of trust and openness."
"Over the coming months, I will visit many parts of our diocese," the bishop said. "This will be a time of grieving, listening and walking together on a synodal journey into a compassionate next stage for our diocese. I encourage you to raise any concerns or comments that can help during this period of healing."
