1 week ago
A Roman Catholic priest replied “we are but men” erstwhile confronted aft nan boy of a female to whom he was providing belief guidance caught nan clergyman having activity pinch his mother, according to tribunal grounds successful Texas connected Wednesday.
That type of events emerged astatine nan 2nd time of nan proceedings of Anthony Odiong, who has been criminally charged pinch illicitly abusing his position arsenic a clergyman to prosecute activity pinch spiritually susceptible female congregants.
A boy of 1 of those women, now 29, told jurors astatine nan authorities courthouse successful Waco, Texas, that he was astir 14 successful 2011 erstwhile his devoutly Catholic mother – caller from a tumultuous divorcement – hosted a statement astatine nan location she shared pinch her 7 children. Among nan guests was Anthony Odiong, who was a leader astatine a Catholic religion attended by students and labor of Waco’s Baylor University, wherever nan son’s mother worked.
Odiong had been gathering nan mother often successful nan aftermath of her divorce, ostensibly to supply her pinch belief direction, successful sessions astatine his agency aliases moreover her home, according to nan boy and abstracted grounds connected Wednesday from 1 of his younger sisters.
But nan nighttime of nan party, he said he was locked successful nan woman’s chamber pinch her, and nan boy – who had moreover been an altar server of Odiong – abruptly heard noises coming from down nan door. He burst in, saw a bottomless Odiong was lying connected nan level atop his mother, and deduced they had been having sex.
The boy said he ran to nan location of a neighbour – Baylor’s theological seminary dean, Todd Still – and, successful a panic, described what he saw. Baylor’s longtime assemblage chaplain and belief life dean, Burt Burleson, past learned astir nan business from Still, and he testified connected Wednesday that he relayed nan “profoundly inappropriate” matter to a supervisor of Odiong astatine nan Catholic diocese of Austin.
Burleson testified that he besides confronted Odiong – and was amazed astatine nan priest’s nonchalant reaction.
“We are but men,” Burleson recalled Odiong saying.
The boy later said to a diocesan official. But he said he did not want to get anyone successful trouble, particularly his mother, who could beryllium fired from Baylor if she was ever recovered to beryllium conducting herself successful a mode that was inconsistent pinch Christian values.
He said he told that charismatic that what he saw pinch his mother and Odiong whitethorn person been ambiguous. He besides acknowledged successful tribunal that a continuing conflict pinch constituent maltreatment had already started that night, erstwhile he had been drinking good nether nan ineligible age.
Odiong’s profession mostly continued unimpeded, pinch his spending clip studying successful Rome and yet transferring to a religion successful nan New Orleans suburb of Luling, Louisiana, until precocious 2023. His mother yet saw a Guardian news story published aft nan extremity of Odiong’s clip successful Luling astir different women who accused him of intersexual coercion, unwanted rubbing and abusive financial power successful his capacity arsenic a priest, including successful Texas.
The communicative described really a Texas authorities rule considers it battle for clergymen to utilization congregants’ affectional dependency connected them to prosecute successful intersexual behaviour pinch them. The female went to Waco constabulary to study what Odiong had done that to her. That prompted an investigation that culminated successful nan recognition of 2 much women Odiong was alleged to person assaulted by exploiting his clerical status, successful criminal charges against him, and nan proceedings successful Waco.
Odiong, 57, pleaded not blameworthy connected Wednesday to nan 5 charges of first-degree and 2 counts of second-degree intersexual battle that he faces. He could look life imprisonment if convicted connected immoderate of nan first-degree charges.
Waco prosecutors Ryan Calvert and Liz Buice were capable to unafraid criminal charges against Odiong without respect for really agelong agone his alleged crimes whitethorn person occurred because investigators established location were arsenic galore arsenic 10 women nan leader was suspected of sexually preying on.
In her opening statement, Buice indicated that she and Calvert planned to telephone astatine slightest immoderate of those women arsenic witnesses, moreover if not each of their cases resulted successful general charges against Odiong.
Prosecutors opportunity their stories found Odiong’s shape of pursuing female congregants. And they person antecedently noted really – contempt Catholic priests’ committedness to believe intersexual celibacy – location is grounds Odiong moreover had a kid pinch 1 of nan women whose lawsuit did not lead to general charges against him.
The Guardian is not naming immoderate of nan women aliases those adjacent to them arsenic it mostly does not place group who allege they are intersexual battle victims.
While cross-examining witnesses connected Wednesday, Odiong’s attorney, Gerald Villarrial, sought to situation nan reliability of nan recollections of nan witnesses whose mother reported his customer to police. He besides established that different priests beside Odiong were known to spell to that woman’s location – and questioned whether Odiong could ever transportation retired definite behaviors while, successful a sense, he was off-duty from his domiciled arsenic a leader and was conscionable a regular person.
But Calvert elicited witnesser grounds from a Notre Dame University canon – aliases religion – rule lawyer, John Paul Kimes, that Roman Catholic priests for illustration him and Odiong are ne'er disconnected nan clock. And Kimes besides testified that priests do clasp a belief authority complete congregants that they must return attraction to not exploit.
“We ne'er extremity being connected duty,” said Kimes, whose credentials see an 11-year move arsenic a canon lawyer for nan entity that handles Catholic clergy misconduct astatine nan Vatican.
Odiong’s proceedings could past done astatine slightest Monday.
