Australian Bishop pledges healing after predecessor’s abuse conviction

Vatican News

The Bishop of Broome, Australia, has expressed profound sorrow for the suffering and shame endured by victims and survivors after his predecessor was convicted of sexual offences.

On Thursday, a jury in the District Court of Western Australia found Bishop Christopher Saunders, Bishop Emeritus of Broome, guilty of 13 sexual abuse offences against two young Aboriginal men. 

Bishop Saunders denied the sexual assaults took place and can appeal the conviction.

He served as Bishop of Broome from 1996 to 2021, and the offences occurred between 2008 and 2019.

In a pastoral letter addressed to Catholics throughout the Kimberley region, Bishop Timothy Norton, SVD, current Bishop of Broome, acknowledged the verdict and thanked Australian authorities for bringing the case before a jury.

Bishop Norton paid tribute to the victims, survivors, and other witnesses who came forward “to express their truth.”

“They showed extraordinary resilience and commitment through a long and difficult process,” he said. “They deserved to be heard with compassion and treated with dignity.”

Bishop Norton expressed deep sorrow for the hurt and shame they have endured.

He also lamented the length of time it took for their voices to be heard and their suffering to be acknowledged. 

Bishop Norton pledged that the Diocese of Broome will do everything possible to reach out to those affected and accompany them toward hope and healing.

In his pastoral letter, the Australian Bishop recognized that the harm extends beyond those who gave evidence to police and before the court.

“Trust has been broken and wounds of betrayal and division have been exposed across the diocese,” he said. “The hurt extends to those who have placed their trust in our leadership and our Church.”

It has also left many Catholics, especially those who have served their parishes and local communities, with “difficult questions and unresolved feelings.”

Bishop Norton acknowledged the pain of the local Catholic community as it struggles to understand how such a betrayal could have taken place within its diocesan leadership.

In response, he pledged a renewed commitment to making the Diocese a place of “safety, respect and accountability,” from the Cathedral in Broome to the most remote communities of the Kimberley.

Bishop Norton said the Diocese would work to ensure that every person is treated with dignity and compassion, seeking to build “authentic and peaceful relationships, even if we do not always agree with each other.”

Looking to the months ahead, Bishop Norton announced that he would visit communities throughout the vast Diocese.

The visits, he said, will offer a time for grieving and listening, as the faithful walk together on a synodal journey toward a more compassionate future. 

He invited people to share their concerns and observations so that they might contribute to the community’s process of healing.

The Bishop also encouraged anyone distressed by the verdict or by accounts heard during the trial to seek assistance, saying diocesan and parish staff can help connect people with independent support services.

Concluding his pastoral letter, Bishop Norton entrusted the Diocese to Our Lady Queen of Peace, its patroness, asking her intercession and accompaniment on the journey toward “reconciliation, healing, and hope.”