The high life and low crimes of Broome's 'bastard of a bishop'
Fury is growing around the Catholic Church's handling of jailed outback bishop Christopher Saunders, who remains a senior cleric despite being convicted of sexually assaulting young Aboriginal men.
Bishop Christopher Saunders, known as the "bastard of a bishop," has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting young men in the remote Diocese of Broome. The lengthy delay in addressing abuse allegations has raised concerns among safety campaigners and church accountability advocates. Parishioners and church authorities have been criticized for urging the public to pray for Saunders while he was under investigation.
The charismatic Catholic cleric, who served in the outback diocese for five decades, had a reputation for being close to the community and its wealthy business owners. Despite being dubbed "The BOAB" by some, Saunders was found guilty of sexual penetration and indecent assault in a three-week trial. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference issued an apology, but the case remains unresolved, as the 76-year-old bishop has not been defrocked.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
