Australia has accused former Broome Bishop Christopher Saunders of rape.
Following concurrent investigations that the Pope and Western Australian police both ordered, the 74-year-old was taken into custody in Broome on Wednesday.
Mr. Saunders, who has previously refuted accusations, was not granted bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. He is among the leading Catholic clerics facing such accusations.
Two counts of rape, fourteen counts of unlawful and indecent assault, and three counts of indecently interacting with a juvenile while in a position of authority are all brought against Mr. Saunders.
Between 2008 and 2014, the alleged offenses took place in the isolated Western Australian towns of Broome, Kinnara, and the Aboriginal village of Kalum Buru.
Mr. Saunders is the highest ranking Catholic official in the nation to be accused of child sex offenses, with the exception of the late Cardinal George Pell, who was imprisoned before being found not guilty.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference issued a statement on Thursday in which it pledged to assist law enforcement and described the claims against Mr. Saunders as “very serious and deeply distressing, especially for those making those allegations.
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth stated, “It is right and proper—indeed, necessary—that all such allegations be thoroughly investigated.
After being ordained in 1976, Mr. Saunders has worked mostly in the isolated Kimberley region in the northwest corner of the country. In 1996, he was named Bishop of Broome.
The diocese includes some of the most isolated regions of the nation and spans a territory approximately the size of Turkey, at 770,000 sq km (297,000 sq miles).
Mr. Saunders, a well-known socialite, advocate, and guide for young men going fishing and camping, has long had a significant position in the community. There is a beer named after him as well.
He has been the subject of two separate investigations for many years due to claims of sexual abuse made by a number of local Aboriginal males.
The first police investigation that followed the accusations was closed without any charges in 2020. In 2020, he resigned his position as the Bishop of Broome freely, however he is still an emeritus bishop.
