Broome Bishop defies Vatican deadline to take part in sexual misconduct investigation, Catholic Church says

The retired Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders refused to take part in an internal investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him within a Vatican-imposed deadline, the Catholic Church says. The revelation came in an Australian Catholic Bishops Conference media statement on Friday, which confirmed the 200-page report had been handed over to WA Police. The Force requested it on Tuesday and it was delivered directly to deputy commissioner Allan Adams on Thursday, the statement read - adding that the internal probe was ongoing. “At no point did the Church oppose the provision of the report to WA Police.” Bishop Saunders voluntarily stood down in 2020 after 7NEWS broadcast a special report revealing he had been at the centre of an 18-month police investigation codenamed “Operation White Plane”. The following year, police and prosecutors announced they would not lay charges claiming “insufficient evidence”. The statement outlined how the internal probe dragged out. “The Church could commence its internal investigation only once it was formally notified by WA Police that they had closed their investigations, which took a long time,” Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge said in the statement. Archbishop Coleridge was entrusted with ensuring the investigation followed new procedural norms for sexual abuse allegations issued by Pope Francis in 2019 and ensure its independence from WA church authorities. “The Church can confirm that Bishop Saunders refused to leave the Diocese and chose not to participate in the Church’s investigation within the deadline of six months initially stipulated by the Vatican,” he said. The investigation included both alleged crimes against the canon laws within the Church and alleged breaches of the Church’s Integrity in Ministry protocols, he said. Geraldton Bishop Michael Morrissey - who was appointed the Broome Diocese’s Apostolic Administrator after Bishop Saunders resigned - denied allegations the Church had breached mandatory child sexual abuse reporting laws. “It’s important to note that the list of alleged victims and potential victims was already held by WA Police based on their own investigations,” he said. “Further enquiries were made after the report was submitted and no potential victims in the report were confirmed or identified as being under the age of 18.” Bishop Morrissey said the Church would “continue to offer full transparency and cooperation with WA Police”.