Australian bishop Christopher Saunders charged with rape

High-ranking Australian Bishop Christopher Saunders has been charged with rape and a string of sex offences - some against children - after a long-running investigation.

The 74-year-old was arrested in the Western Australian town of Broome on Wednesday.

Mr Saunders was refused bail, and will face 19 charges in court on Thursday.

He is one of the most senior Catholics in Australia to face charges of this nature.

First ordained in 1976, Mr Saunders has spent most of his career in the remote Kimberley region in the nation's north-west corner.

For years, he has faced dual police and internal church investigations over allegations of sexual abuse made by several men.

The accusations were first aired in 2020, but the initial police investigation that followed was closed without charge.