A top secret investigation ordered by Pope Francis into the activities of the former bishop of Broome in WA's Kimberley region has found it was likely he sexually assaulted four Indigenous youths, and may have groomed 67 others.
The 200-page report, leaked potentially due to frustration at the slow pace of action against Bishop Christopher Saunders, also found he smuggled alcohol into dry Aboriginal communities and spent vast sums of church and charity funds to groom the young men.
A 7NEWS investigation exclusively obtained a copy of the final report, which was completed six months ago in April and sent to Rome.
Only the Pope has the authority to defrock a bishop.
The report notes that Saunders, who worked in the Broome diocese for almost 50 years, "has been variously described by witnesses as … a sexual predator that seeks to prey upon vulnerable Aboriginal men and boys".
"During the investigation, four victims of sexual acts were identified. 67 additional Aboriginal boys and men were also identified as persons that may have been subjected to delictual acts or grooming behaviours by Bishop Saunders," it states.
7News and The West Australia reports that the investigation details alleged offences over five decades, dating back to when Saunders was newly-ordained and first working as a priest in Sydney.
Saunders was ordained as a priest in 1976 and to the Kimberley region shortly thereafter, and was ordained as a bishop in 1996.
The report alleges he plied young Aboriginal males with thousands of dollars' worth of alcohol each month, cash, phones, phone credit, hotels, air and bus travel. It also alleges he had five bank accounts — which at one time held a total of $3 million. The safe in the Chancery was found to have $80,000 in cash.
The report also alleges Saunders used the church airplane to transport alcohol to dry Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley. Witnesses said slabs of Jim Bean and Coke would be hidden in hessian bags "at the Bishop's instructions to disguise the contents" – The West reports.
The church investigation, led by two former WA Police detectives, identified a total of 102 witnesses, and formally interviewed 30 of them.
The Vos Estis inquiry was launched by Pope Francis on September 27 last year. The report also found that many members of the Church community that stood up to Bishop Saunders over the years, "have either lost their jobs, lost their faith, or suffered both psychological and reputational damage".
