Archbishop of Perth says the former bishop has denied the ‘deeply distressing’ allegations

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The Catholic archbishop of Perth says “very serious and deeply distressing” allegations against a former bishop are now being examined by the Vatican after an investigation by the church.

In a statement, the archbishop, Timothy Costelloe, said the investigation into “several serious allegations” involving the former bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders began after Western Australian police concluded its own inquiries. Costelloe did not detail the nature of the allegations.