Former bishop Christopher Saunders was convicted in Australia for sexual abuse of two young men, being found guilty of 13 out of 19 charges.

Former Catholic bishop Christopher Saunders, aged 76, was sentenced on Thursday by the District Court of Western Australia for sexual abuse of two Indigenous youths, with the acts occurring between 2008 and 2019.

The jury found that he lured the youths to his home, offering them alcohol and drugs, during parties where the rules required guests to remove their shirts. The convictions include serious charges such as sexual penetration without consent and sexual assault. Although he was acquitted of 6 charges, the trial revealed unacceptable behaviors from a high-ranking Catholic official.

Saunders led the Diocese of Broome from 1996 until 2021, and his resignation was followed by a Vatican investigation and the reopening of the case by the police. A national investigation revealed that 7% of Australian Catholic priests have been accused of child abuse between 1950-2010, highlighting the extent of the scandal within the Catholic Church.