He pleaded not guilty to 28 criminal charges, including two counts of rape and 14 counts of unlawful and indecent assault.

Saunders, 74, denied all charges that initially surfaced in 2020 and allegedly occurred between 2008 and 2016.

Church officials launched their investigation into Saunders, later handing it over to the Vatican in 2022.

That investigation led to a police raid on Saunders' former residence in January 2023, followed by his arrest in February.

The charges stem from allegations that Saunders groomed and abused young Aboriginal men over eight years.

Some of the alleged victims reported being showered with gifts including cash, phones and alcohol.

Testimonies also detail incidents where Saunders allegedly engaged in inappropriate conduct, including hosting gatherings where guests were asked to strip and engage in sexual activities.

Hush money payments

Saunders' former secretary, Cherrille Quilty, alleged the bishop instructed her to make payments to his alleged victims.

"There was a list of names on the wall in the secretary's office with victims, potential victims and their bank account details" Quilty told The Pillar.

"It was so urgent that I pay them, it wasn't for odd jobs, I can tell you that now.

"It was hush money.

"One of the first victims that came forward was the one that I paid most frequently, and it was to shut him up.

"You didn't dare ask why [Saunders] was paying them. Didn't dare" Quilty said.

"He wasn't the sort of person you would ever cross or ask him anything."

The Church's investigation, which uncovered disturbing details, was pivotal in reigniting police interest in the case.

Leaked portions of the investigation highlighted Saunders' alleged pattern of grooming vulnerable young men, triggering further scrutiny by authorities.

While the Vatican's involvement in the case remains ongoing, the Australian Bishops' Conference, represented by Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth, has promised full cooperation with law enforcement.

"It is right and proper, and indeed necessary, that all allegations be thoroughly investigated" Costelloe said following Saunders' arrest.

The former Bishop of Broome also faces separate firearms charges, though no plea was entered for these during the 30 September hearing.

The next court hearing for Saunders is scheduled for January 2025.

Sources

ABC News

The Pillar

CathNews New Zealand

The comment comes from the West Australian archbishop and member of the preparatory committee for the General Assembly of the Synod, Timothy Costelloe.

He says that ongoing consultation with Catholics worldwide needs to give more deference to local church authorities.

Pope Francis's global synod - which began in 2021 and finishes next year - shows just how diverse the Church is and the various ways people express their Catholic faith, says Costelloe.

A significant feature of synodality is the understanding that unity does not call for uniformity within the Catholic Church, he says.

"One of the most important things that we are experiencing on the journey, and that we experienced very powerfully during these continental assemblies is that there is, in fact, more than one way of being the Church.

"I think that's a very important thing and something that's emerging as a significant feature of this synodal journey."

Different ways of being Catholic have always been a part of the Church, Costelloe says.

Therefore, it is something "we need to acknowledge more and more to celebrate and be grateful to God.

"I would say that what is happening, both in the ideal world, but also in reality, is that we're beginning to experience a profound unity, which is not only not grounded in uniformity ... we all know, unity and uniformity are not the same thing."

Costello says there's "almost universal appreciation of the process and a desire that we do not go backwards.

We've found something precious in the life of the church, which has great potential for the future and that we need to continue down this pathway to the future, to be more fully the church that we're supposed to be."

Just the same, the Synod cannot be reduced to just a few concerns, he cautions.

"It's really a synod on how the church, as it grows in its understanding of being a synodal church, can find more productive or more fruitful ways of beginning to grapple with all of these issues," he says.

Synod's 'continental phase' finished

Costelloe's remarks came during a Vatican press conference last week, marking the conclusion of the continental phase of the three-year synod process.

During February and March, seven continental meetings took place.

At these, attendees reflected on themes that emerged during the first phase of the synod process, which included tens of thousands of listening sessions with Catholics worldwide.

After the second phase of those gatherings, the third phase will include two month-long assemblies in Rome in October 2023 and October 2024.

Source

• NCR Online
• Crux

Catholicism is battling to balance its convictions with the realities of an increasingly secular nation.

40 per cent of the population identifies having no religion and only 20 per cent identify as Catholic. That's down from 22.6 per cent in 2016, according to the latest census results.

"I think it's a very clear indication to us of the direction our society is going," Costelloe says. "It's not surprising but it's a bit of a wake-up call to remind us we can't be complacent.

"We know the way we understand the meaning of life and the way we look at life is not shared by everybody; we do not want to impose it on anybody, but we do want to offer it. It is a gift we can bring to our ­society but like any gift you can take it or leave it … we want to offer it as openly and as generously as we can."

Costelloe says the church needs to be faithful to its core principles and believe in the "gifts" Catholicism has to offer, including a way to make sense of the world and the call to live life with integrity.

He says the Plenary Council spent much of this week debating what approach to take to claw back its diminishing flock.

"A lot of our discussions have been about this idea of the church being a church that goes out to people, meets them where they are, offers them the gift we bring and leaving it up to them to decide if they want to take it up."

Costello, who is the bishops' conference president, says he hopes work on Australia's Religious Discrimination Bill would resume under the new government.

"I certainly hope that (Anthony Albanese) will be faithful to the fact that both sides of politics have been publicly committed to taking this step," he said.

At the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference plenary this week the bishops moved to re-endorse the Uluru Statement from the Heart. They also issued an apology to survivors of abuse. They aim to make amends with groups they have historically wronged.

"The Catholic Church and other churches and organisations were part of the Stolen Generations disaster, but we are very committed … to the journey of reconciliation," Costello says.

The church is also seeking to make amends with abuse victims, re-offering an apology to those who suffered abuse at the hands of the clergy.

Costello also commented about the renewed debate on abortion rights, the church in Australia following Roe v Wade. He remains firm.

"As Catholics we uphold that the child in the womb is a human being and has as much right to life as anyone else. That is our fundamental position."

The confessional legislation removes civil law protections to the confidentiality of the seal of confession.

The confessional experience is a personal encounter between that person and Christ, Costelloe wrote in a pastoral letter published last week.

He said the state parliament's decision not only potentially criminalises a priest's faithfulness to his role, there's no guarantee any child will be better protected because of the new legislation.

"It is particularly concerning and troubling that the majority opinion of the legislative committee established by the government to look into this matter was not accepted by the parliament," Costelloe wrote.

"In a 3-2 majority decision this committee recommended that disclosures made in the context of a religious confession should not be subject to the new mandatory reporting laws."

Queensland and Victoria have also implemented similar legislation.

Costelloe said some people mistakenly think if a person discloses abuse during confession that the priest can and will do nothing.

"A priest will do everything he can to provide advice, support and accompaniment if the person making the disclosure is open to this."

Priests are allowed to act if the person discloses information outside the context of confession, but anything they are told during confession is completely private.

This is because in Catholic teaching the priest acts in the person of Christ in this encounter.

"In a very real sense the disclosure is made to Christ who, in the person of the priest, listens, advises, encourages and assists that person in every way possible. He does not betray that person's confidence."

Silliness reaches it peak

If an abuser comes to confession, the priest will do everything in his power to convince them to hand themselves into the police.

However, it is not Catholic teaching that people need to show some form of ID before confessing the sins; the nature of confession is it is generally anonymous and the priest does not necessarily know the person confessing their sins.

Costelloe said the passage of the new law means it's almost inconceivable that a perpetrator would put themselves at risk of discovery by making a confession.

"And of course, if a perpetrator did take the "risk" of going to confession, he or she would certainly go to a priest who could not identify them, and who conducted confession in a setting which guaranteed anonymity."

Costelloe acknowledged many people will unfairly criticise him and the Church for its opposition to this legislative change.

"The Catholic Church right across the country ... has taken many constructive steps to address this terrible reality ...," he said.

He noted the Perth archdiocese was the first in the world to launch a Safeguarding Office in 2015. It has over 250 trained Safeguarding Officers across more than 105 parishes.

Costelloe concluded his Pastoral Letter emphasising three points.

Firstly, his commitment to the safety and well-being of our children and young people is unwavering.

"Secondly, that we will continue to respond with openness, compassion and generosity to those who have been victims and are now survivors of the terrible crime and sin of sexual abuse by people associated with the Catholic Church.

"And thirdly that our priests will continue to put themselves at your service seeking as best they can to be living and effective signs and bearers of the presence of the Good Shepherd among you."

Source

• The Record
• Image: FSSPX News

The Church's threats come as opponents and supporters of marriage equality stand firm to their view while the countdown to the federal government's postal vote to decide the issue continues.

The Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, says the church's 180,000 employees are expected to uphold Church teachings "totally", and defiance would be treated "very seriously".

"I would be very emphatic that our schools, our parishes exist to teach a Catholic view of marriage," he says.

"Any words or actions which work contrary to that would be viewed very seriously.

"Our teachers, our parish employees are expected totally to uphold the Catholic faith and what we believe about marriage. People have to see in words and in example that our teaching of marriage is underlined."

He also points out that like all other employers, the Church "should be able to ensure its values are upheld by those who choose to work for the organisation."

Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, who is the chairman of the Bishops Commission for Catholic Education adds voice to Hart's, saying teachers should be careful about undermining their schools' values if marriage laws are changed.

Parents who send their children to Catholic schools want them educated within a Catholic context, of which marriage is a vital part, Costelloe notes.

Australia's anti-discrimination laws allow churches to hire and fire on the basis of sexual orientation, marital status and other traits.

Last week, the 'Yes' campaign announced Olympic legend Ian Thorpe as the official face of its campaign in favour of changing the Marriage Act.

Source

• The Sydney Morning Herald
• Huffington Post
• Newshub
• Image: Business Insider