Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, president of the Australian Bishops Conference, has acknowledged an eight-year delay in bringing former Broome bishop Christopher Alan Saunders to justice over allegations he sexually abused two young Indigenous men, while defending the church's decision to let police take the lead.
Archbishop Costelloe said he hoped the church could soon reopen its own in-house legal procedures against Saunders now that he has been sentenced criminally.
"We still have to respect the integrity of the Australian justice system," he told The Associated Press. "That's been probably the fundamental reason why it's stretched out as long as it has."
Saunders, 76, was found guilty of 13 sex offences by a jury in the West Australian District Court on Wednesday. Prosecutors alleged he lured young Indigenous men to his church-owned house with alcohol and cigarettes paid for with church funds. He denied wrongdoing, and it is not yet known whether he will appeal.
Church and law enforcement officials first learned of the allegations in 2018. The Vatican forced Saunders to retire in 2021, at age 71 and four years early, and the Australian police investigation was twice halted for lack of evidence.
Costelloe defended the decision to let police take the lead in the case as a necessary guarantee, while conceding it contributed to how long the case has stretched out.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The case centres on a senior Catholic cleric convicted of sexually abusing two young Indigenous men, a pattern that has deeply eroded trust in church institutions in Australia.
- The eight-year gap between the first allegations in 2018 and the conviction raises questions about how abuse complaints involving vulnerable communities are handled.
- Whether the church reopens its own disciplinary procedures will be watched as a test of accountability beyond the criminal courts.
Background
The Catholic Church in Australia has faced sustained public scrutiny over clerical sexual abuse for many years, including a national royal commission that examined how institutions responded to allegations. In clergy cases, criminal proceedings and the church's internal canonical processes have historically run on separate tracks, and church leaders have repeatedly been forced to explain the pace of both.
Key Perspectives
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe and church leadership: The delay is conceded, but the priority was protecting the integrity of the criminal justice system. Costelloe argues the church deliberately stepped back to let police lead, and hopes to restart the church's own procedures now that the criminal case is over.
The prosecution case: The conviction rested on allegations that Saunders used church funds to buy alcohol and cigarettes to lure young Indigenous men to his residence. The charges were tested in court eight years after officials first learned of them.
Critics and abuse survivors: The police investigation was twice halted for lack of evidence, and the Vatican forced Saunders into early retirement in 2021. Critics may ask whether the church or authorities could have moved faster, and whether complainants were well served by the long wait for a verdict.
What to Watch
- Whether Saunders lodges an appeal against his conviction.
- Whether the Australian Bishops Conference follows through on reopening its in-house legal procedures against Saunders.
- Details of the sentence handed down in the West Australian District Court and any further statements from the church or the complainants.