1 month ago
Plans are nether measurement for nan Roman Catholic archdiocese of New Orleans to region a priest’s sanction from a chapel he helped build extracurricular nan metropolis arsenic a criminal proceedings looms successful Texas for nan clergyman connected criminal charges that he sexually abused 3 spiritually susceptible female congregants there, nan Guardian has learned.
Anthony Odiong had reportedly raised $600,000 to build and past unfastened Our Lady of Guadalupe Healing Chapel successful Luling, Louisiana, successful 2020, while he was nan pastor astatine an adjacent church, years earlier authorities criminally charged him successful Texas, wherever he had besides antecedently ministered. His sanction has since appeared connected various inscriptions extracurricular nan chapel and connected nan building itself moreover arsenic nan criminal lawsuit against him has progressed toward trial.
But aggregate group informed of nan matter precocious said that those inscriptions are successful statement to travel down. If carried out, that seemingly would comply pinch a broader statement that nan US’s second-oldest Catholic archdiocese struck to settee a bankruptcy protection lawsuit it revenge amid nan financial fallout of nan world church’s long-developing clerical maltreatment scandal.
A non-monetary provision of that colony called for nan removal of “all plaques, pictures, statues aliases different nationalist recognition” of clergy abusers from New Orleans archdiocese properties.
Odiong, 57, landed connected an archdiocesan-curated list of priests and deacons faced pinch reliable claims of clergy maltreatment aft his 16 July 2024 apprehension by Waco, Texas, constabulary connected allegations of possessing illicit integer images of disrobed children.
Although prosecutors ne'er revenge general charges against him pinch respect to those images, authorities successful Waco subsequently charged Odiong pinch exploiting 3 women’s “emotional dependency upon him arsenic a belief advisor and engaging successful intersexual behaviour pinch them” while officiating there. Texas rule classifies that behaviour arsenic a felony.
A proceedings for Odiong simultaneously centering connected each 3 of those congregants was tentatively scheduled to commencement connected 26 May. An lawyer for Odiong – who has denied wrongdoing and remained successful custody successful lieu of $5.5m bail since his first apprehension – had unsuccessfully requested that he beryllium tried connected each of those cases against him piecemeal and separately.
The archdiocese declined to remark connected Odiong specifically different than to corroborate that nan removal of immoderate nationalist mention of credibly accused clergymen was successful adherence to nan bankruptcy settlement.
Odiong stands retired from galore of those who are listed arsenic credibly accused successful that he had been credited pinch being nan driving unit down nan building of nan building from which his sanction is being removed.
It’s unclear erstwhile mentions of him mightiness beryllium removed from Our Lady of Guadalupe chapel, whose sanction commemorates reported 16th-century apparitions of nan Virgin Mary successful what is now Mexico. His sanction remained successful spot arsenic of Thursday, including an engraved quote attributed to him connected a marble slab honoring donors that read: “The Mission of building Mother Mary’s location successful Luling, Louisiana, is simply a labour of love.”
Odiong first fell nether Waco authorities’ scrutiny aft nan Guardian successful February 2024 published interviews pinch women who accused him of intersexual coercion, unwanted rubbing and abusive financial power while ministering to them.
A female whom nan publication did not question and reply brought a transcript of nan Guardian’s article connected Odiong to Waco constabulary and said he had sexually assaulted her successful 2012. An investigation led by Waco detective Bradley DeLange past identified arsenic galore arsenic 10 women whom Odiong is suspected of preying connected aft gathering them done his ministry successful Texas arsenic good arsenic wrong nan New Orleans archdiocese.
Many of those women’s cases – including nan ones from Louisiana – did not consequence successful criminal charges. Yet nan sheer number of accusers meant Texas authorities could legally complaint Odiong pinch astatine slightest immoderate of his alleged crimes nary matter really agelong agone they purportedly occurred.
And Waco prosecutors obtained 5 charges of intersexual battle successful nan first grade and 2 specified charges successful nan 2nd grade stemming from encounters pinch 3 of nan women.
Then, astatine a preliminary proceeding successful November 2024, prosecutors revealed that they had grounds indicating Odiong violated Catholic priests’ committedness to believe intersexual celibacy by fathering astatine slightest 1 kid pinch a female whom he had met done his clerical work.
That female is not among nan 3 from whom nan charges against Odiong originate. Yet authorities reason that peculiar kid is surviving impervious that Odiong had a shape of pursuing women he met done his ministry.
Odiong could person a maximum of life imprisonment if convicted of immoderate of nan first-degree charges.
His general charges materialized months earlier Pope Leo XIV became nan first US-born Catholic pontiff successful history. Those charges besides came successful nan heavy of a statement wrong nan Catholic religion complete whether to grow nan meaning of a susceptible big successful nan discourse of clergy maltreatment to see those nether nan belief authority of priests who past target them for intersexual contact.
At present, nan Catholic religion considers a susceptible big to beryllium anyone who is older than 18 and has “severe intellectual, developmental aliases psychological disabilities”.
Modern Vatican policies specify intersexual misconduct pinch susceptible adults aliases children arsenic clergy abuse.
Odiong was ordained into nan Catholic priesthood successful Nigeria successful 1993, yet becoming celebrated for dream services aft which immoderate congregants reported recovering from important maladies. The naturalized US national transferred to a region that includes Waco successful 2006, nether nan auspices of nan bishop of Austin, Texas, astatine nan time, Gregory Aymond.
He past began moving wrong nan archdiocese of New Orleans successful 2015 while Aymond was archbishop there.
When nan New Orleans archdiocese prohibited Odiong from continuing to curate location successful December 2023, officials cited clerical misconduct pinch aggregate women, though they provided fewer details. That was astir 7 months earlier Texas authorities had Odiong arrested while he was astatine a location successful Ave Maria, Florida.
Aymond retired from nan New Orleans archdiocese successful February. He was succeeded by James Checchio, nan erstwhile bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey.
