Bishop Christopher Saunders of Australia has been charged with various historical sex crimes, including rape and against children.
A 74-year-old man was arrested in Broome on Wednesday following a parallel investigation order from Western Australia Police and the Crown.
Mr. Sanders has indicated that he intends to plead not guilty to all charges against him.
He is one of the earliest Catholic clergymen to have faced charges of this kind.
Mr Sanders is charged with two counts of rape, 14 counts of indecent assault and three counts of indecent use of a child while in a position of authority.
The crimes are said to have occurred between 2008 and 2014 in the remote Aboriginal communities of Broome, Kununurra town and Kalumburu in Western Australia.
He was released on bail on Thursday and ordered to remain at his home until his next hearing in June. This was reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Mr Sanders is the most senior Catholic official in the country to be charged with child abuse, along with the late Cardinal George Pell, who was imprisoned and later acquitted.
In a statement on Thursday, the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference pledged to cooperate with police and said the allegations against Mr Sanders were “very serious and very worrying, especially for those making these allegations”.
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costello said: “It is right, appropriate and even necessary that all such allegations be thoroughly investigated.”
Mr Saunders was first ordained in 1976 and spent most of his career in the remote Kimberley region of the north-west of the country. He was appointed Bishop of Broome in 1996.
The parish has an area of approximately 770,000 square kilometres, which is roughly the size of Turkey and includes some of the country’s most remote areas.
Known for being outgoing, active in advocacy, and accompanying young people on camping and fishing trips, Mr Sanders has long been an influential figure in the local community.
There’s even a beer named after him.
This allegation was first made in 2020, but the initial police investigation ended without any charges being filed.
He voluntarily resigned as Bishop of Broome in 2020 but remains Bishop Emeritus.
However, the Pope ordered a historical investigation, and the police began a new investigation.
Vos Estis Lux Mundi has only been requested a few times worldwide. Vos Estis means “You are the light of the world” in Latin.
The investigation was commissioned by the Pope and launched in 2019 to combat sexual abuse and take action against bishops and other high-ranking officials in the Catholic Church.