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SYDNEY - A former bishop in Australia was sentenced to more than six years in jail on Wednesday for sexual offences against young men, according to a court official.
Christopher Alan Saunders -- the former bishop of Broome -- was one of Australia's most senior Catholics for decades.
He was sentenced in a Western Australian court on Wednesday to six years and six months in prison, backdated to August 12.
Saunders was found guilty in August of one count of sexual penetration without consent and 12 counts of unlawful and indecent assault.
One of his victims said in a statement read out in court: "I was a toy that he was using... my head is pounding now, I'm in so much pain."
"I can't talk about it," the person said in the statement reported by national broadcaster ABC.
Saunders presided over the Diocese of Broome, a sweeping coastal region in northwest Australia dotted with dozens of remote Aboriginal communities, for more than 20 years.
He stood down as bishop in 2020 when allegations of sexual abuse first surfaced in Australian media, but retained the honorary title of emeritus bishop.
An initial police investigation failed to unearth sufficient evidence to charge Saunders, who had been steadfast in his denials.
However, with persistent rumours swirling around the clergyman, the Vatican launched its own probe in 2022 using sweeping powers first established by the late Pope Francis.
The "Vos estis lux mundi" powers -- meaning "You are the light of the world" in Latin -- were drawn up in 2019 to help the church investigate sexual abuse accusations at the highest levels.
The confidential church findings were later shared with police, who re-opened their investigation.
President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Timothy Costelloe acknowledged the "profound impact on the victims and survivors of these crimes" in a statement issued in response to Saunders' sentencing.
"To each victim and survivor who courageously revealed what they had endured, we want to say this: We are sorry for the pain and suffering that was inflicted on you. We are sorry that your trust was so directly and profoundly betrayed by a leader of the Church," he said.
"The journey of the Church must also continue. The crimes for which the former bishop of Broome has been sentenced today are a shocking and shameful reminder of this." - AFP
