Bishop Christopher Saunders has disobeyed a Vatican order to leave the Diocese of Broome (Australia), the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
“Local parishioners have been shocked to see the septuagenarian continuing to occupy church houses and drive church vehicles,” according to the report.
Bishop Saunders, now 73 years old, led the Diocese of Broome from 1995 until his resignation in 2021. A leaked Vatican investigation into abuse allegations found that the prelate “likely sexually assaulted four youths while potentially grooming another 67.”