"Former Broome Bishop Christopher Saunders Charged with Historical Child Sex Offenses in Australia"

Former Bishop of Broome, Christopher Saunders, has been charged with rape and historical sex offenses, including some against children, in Australia. The 74-year-old, who voluntarily stood down in 2020, was arrested after parallel investigations ordered by Western Australian police and the Pope. He is accused of two counts of rape, 14 counts of unlawful and indecent assault, and three counts of indecently dealing with a child as a person in authority, with the alleged offenses occurring between 2008 and 2014 in remote Western Australian towns. This makes him one of the most senior Catholic clerics to face charges of this nature in Australia.