Bishop Max Davis, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of the Australian Defence Force, has this week been found not guilty of all accusations and charges relating to claims of historical incidents which were dealt with by the District Court of Western Australia during the period from 8-15 February 2016.
Bishop Davis stepped aside from his role as Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of the Australian Defence Force on 30 June 2014. He will now take some time to decide whether to return to public ministry.
The Catholic Diocese of the Australian Defence Force strongly encourages any victim of abuse by clergy or staff within the Catholic Church, or any other agency or person, to report the matter to the police and to seek assistance through the dedicated legal and support services.
Within the Church, there are a number of established services for victims and survivors of sexual abuse including Towards Healing and the Melbourne Response.
No further statement on this matter will be made at this time.