| Type: | Bishop |
| Honorific-Prefix: | The Most Reverend |
| Bishop of Broome | |
| Diocese: | Broome |
| Appointed: | 3 November 1995 |
| Term End: | 21 August 2021 |
| Predecessor: | John Jobst |
| Successor: | Latin: [[Sede vacante]] |
| Other Post: | Bishop emeritus of Broome (2021present) |
| Ordination: | 28 August 1976 |
| Ordained By: | John Jobst |
| Consecration: | 8 February 1996 |
| Consecrated By: | John Jobst, Justin Bianchini, Edmund Collins |
| Birth Name: | Christopher Alan Saunders |
| Birth Date: | 15 January 1950 |
| Birth Place: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Alma Mater: | Saint Paul University |
| Coat Of Arms: | Coat of arms of Christopher Alan Saunders.svg |
Christopher Alan Saunders (born 15 January 1950) is an Australian prelate of the Catholic Church who was the bishop of the Latin Church diocese of Broome from 1996 to 2021, when he resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
On 21 February 2024, Saunders was charged with rape, as well as other sex offences, after a long running investigation by Australian police.
Christopher Saunders was born on 15 January 1950. He studied at St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria, and then studied philosophy for three years with the Columbians. Having developed an interest in Aboriginal affairs, he was accepted by the Diocese of Broome and continued his studies in theology at St Francis Xavier Seminary in Adelaide. He worked as a deacon in Broome in 1975 and was ordained a priest of that diocese on 28 August 1976. His assignments took him to La Grange Mission (1976–1978), Lombadina Mission (1978–1982) and Kalumburu Mission (1982–1988). From 1989 to 1995 he was administrator of Broome, interrupted by two years of study for a licentiate in canon law at Saint Paul's Pontifical University in Ottawa, Canada.[1]
Saunders was named bishop of Broome, Australia, on 3 November 1995 and consecrated a bishop on 8 February 1996.
The initial complaint of sexual abuse was filed in 2018, but the investigation was still open in 2020 without any charges.[2]
A journalistic investigation was aired about the alleged sex offenses and financial misconduct in Australia in 2020.
On 9 March 2020, Saunders voluntarily stood aside from the administration of the diocese after the Vatican ordered a review of the diocese. Church authorities did not indicate any connection between that investigation and the news that Western Australian Police had been investigating an allegation of sexual misconduct made against him 18 months earlier.[3] Peter Ingham, Bishop emeritus of Wollongong, has been tasked with the church's investigation into Saunders' management, including financial affairs and handling allegations of sexual misconduct by priests. The church had received complaints about Saunders as early as April 2019 and tried to evaluate them while preventing their repetition and without alerting Saunders. On 27 November 2020, Saunders agreed to take a six-months leave "outside the Diocese",[4] where his continued performance in public as a priest has provoked complaints.[5]
In May 2021, government officials decided not to file criminal charges.[6] Pope Francis accepted his resignation as Bishop of Broome on 28 August 2021.[7] [8]
The Vatican ordered a Vos estis lux mundi inquiry into the allegations, it was started in September 2022 and concluded in April 2023. The report was leaked and concluded that Saunders likely sexually assaulted four youths while potentially grooming another 67.[9]
On 21 February 2024, Saunders was arrested at his home in Broome by police and charged for 19 offences, including rape, with some of the charges for acts he was alleged to have committed against children. The charges dated back to 2008 and his arrest followed years of sex abuse denials by Saunders.[10] [11]