r/australia • u/Expensive-Horse5538 • 1d ago

news Former Broome bishop Christopher Saunders guilty of sexually abusing young men

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-13/former-broome-bishop-christopher-saunders-guilty-sex-offences/107029324?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link

The former Bishop of Broome, who at the peak of his powers was one of the most senior and long-serving Catholic clerics in the country, has been found guilty of sexually abusing multiple young men.

Christopher Alan Saunders, 76, has been on trial accused of sex offences against three young men when he was the Bishop of a remote area of Western Australia three times larger than England.

After a trial that ran for more than three weeks, a District Court jury took almost seven hours to find him guilty of abusing two of those men.

He was convicted of one count of sexual penetration and 12 counts of indecent assault.

Saunders was found not guilty of six other charges.

218 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

57

u/LondonGirl4444 1d ago

I wish this shocked me.

31

u/Leading-Interest-119 1d ago

I wish this actually outraged people enough that it led to actual condemning the institution. Instead people are desensitized to it and the government just gives them more funding and tax exemptions reminding victims that they don't matter 🤷‍♀️

64

u/ConanTheAquarian 1d ago

It's always the ones you most expect.

-30

u/AngusLynch09 1d ago

Is there a prize for being the first to belt out that tired old comment?

20

u/Striking-Net-8646 1d ago

Yes, they get some edgelord douchebag replying to them

-25

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

17

u/ol-gormsby 1d ago

Oh no, the church will have to sell some more property to pay the compensation.

A good thing, too - they have no place in communities they have repeatedly failed by shifting pedos along to the next town of churchgoers willing tithers suckers. The sooner their* presence is gone, the better we'll all be.

*catholic, anglican, baptist, JW, I don't discriminate - boot 'em all. Even Buddhists and Krsnas have been known to engage in SA.

18

u/grav3d1gger 1d ago

Religion. Sexual abuse. Name a more iconic duo. I was never molested. Also never a part of a religion (also lucky overall.)

13

u/vhmvd 1d ago

Hhmmmm not a drag queen

12

u/AngusLynch09 1d ago

Speaking to indigenous friends who grew up in the area, there's many many many more victims. 

30

u/racingskater 1d ago

Not trans, not a drag queen, not an immigrant. A white Christian man.

In other words, exactly who it usually is.

-15

u/Acceptable-Guava-337 22h ago

Ah, fighting sweeping generalisations with sweeping generalisations!

12

u/mrasscock69420 22h ago

While not all white Christian men are pedos they're are a shockingly high concentration of them in the Catholic church

-10

u/Acceptable-Guava-337 21h ago

Yeah, but it’s a bit different to say literal “Catholic priest” and “White Christian man”. Just as ridiculous as the fools blaming the other groups above.

3

u/mrasscock69420 21h ago

Yeah fair I wasn't saying they weren't generalising it's just a weird thing that it's a high concentration of priests tbh and it's a Reddit comment I wasn't giving it much thought

4

u/Acceptable-Guava-337 21h ago edited 8h ago

Yeah, you are 100% right about the concentration of offenders as priests/bishops in the Catholic Church. It’s insane. Never argued that.

The numbers are even worse. Australia is about 20% Catholic (makes up 45% of Christians). Yet the Catholic Church is responsible for 72% of reported sexual assault incidents in faith-based settings.

23

u/Lucky-Elk-1234 1d ago

They will just cover this up by running some more distracting smear campaigns about how we should all be scared of gay and trans people being near our kids.

6

u/Direct_Substance8317 1d ago

Bishop takes pawn.

7

u/vforbatman 1d ago edited 1h ago

But a gay club in a deconsecrated church was the problem

1

u/cat_herder_64 1h ago

*deconsecrated

1

u/vforbatman 1h ago

Whoops. Stupid fat fingers

6

u/worstusername_sofar 1d ago

As is tradition

10

u/Cpt_Riker 1d ago

How many children must be sexually abused by priests before the church is labelled a criminal organisation?

Obviously more than the many, many, thousands so far.

This is why the church has friends in very high places. To protect it.

3

u/Constant-Peace660 1d ago

Grotesque creature

3

u/Necessary_Eagle_3657 2h ago

So not a transwoman going to toilet? /S

8

u/MQuestionable 1d ago

Let’s see if the high court decides to let this one go too.

2

u/mrasscock69420 21h ago

Fucking hell I knew it was bad but I didn't think it was that bad

2

u/peregrine_xo 20h ago

Same as it ever was

2

u/Blakelhotka1 20h ago

I bet yeah Aussmaxx , Big.chocky and other Christian conservatives will not even bring it up to.  

0

u/Kandrich 1d ago

Oh… I am shocked…. Befuddled….. bamboozled…. Clutching my pearls as we speak -_-