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A Texas assemblage connected Tuesday was expected to statesman deliberating nan condemnation of a Roman Catholic leader who was convicted days earlier of criminal clergy intersexual assault.
Anthony Odiong, 57, faces betwixt 5 years and life imprisonment successful relationship pinch a first-degree intersexual battle complaint that he was recovered blameworthy of. He was besides recovered blameworthy of second-degree intersexual assault, which tin transportation betwixt 2 and 20 years successful prison.
Odiong’s sentencing shape began connected Monday, pinch a bid of witnesses describing intersexual misconduct by him going backmost much than a decade. The defense, meanwhile, called witnesses who said Odiong would travel nan rules of probation, moreover though he collapsed his priestly vows of chastity.
At nan extremity of a four-day proceedings connected Friday, nan aforesaid assemblage successful complaint of Odiong’s sentencing wished he was blameworthy of first- and second-degree intersexual battle by illegally exploiting his belief authority arsenic a clergyman for activity pinch 2 devout female parishioners, whether straight aliases by proxy.
Odiong spent overmuch of a astir 17-year play opening successful 2006 ministering successful a region including Waco and serving arsenic nan pastor of a Catholic religion successful nan New Orleans suburb of Luling, Louisiana.
In precocious 2023, leaders of New Orleans’s Catholic archdiocese confirmed to nan Guardian and section reporting partner WWL Louisiana that they had removed Odiong from his domiciled arsenic pastor of Luling’s St Anthony of Padua religion complete clerical misconduct pinch aggregate women.
The Guardian later published a February 2024 investigative study connected a group of women who had accused Odiong of intersexual coercion, unwanted rubbing and abusive financial power while – successful his capacity arsenic a leader – he provided them pinch what is known arsenic belief direction.
That article prompted a female whom nan Guardian did not interview, yet identified successful tribunal arsenic Mary Doe, to bring a transcript of nan outlet’s reporting to Waco constabulary and told them Odiong successful their jurisdiction had besides fostered a intersexual narration pinch her from 2008 to 2011 while providing her pinch belief direction.
Texas considers specified behaviour by a belief cleric successful peculiar to beryllium felony intersexual assault. And Mary Doe’s constabulary title induced an investigation which led authorities to arrest, complaint and successfully effort Odiong successful relationship pinch her arsenic good arsenic 1 of nan Guardian’s interviewees, who would later beryllium identified successful ineligible proceedings arsenic Jane Doe.
Accusers, defenders testify
Jane Doe maintained that nan clergyman successful Waco successful 2010 compelled her to licence her past hubby to prosecute successful a shape of intercourse she recovered overly achy arsenic a hopeless measurement to prevention her matrimony and to past convey specifications astir nan brushwood to Odiong. Under Texas law, authorities maintained those actions, indirect though they were, qualified arsenic battle by Odiong fixed his spot successful Jane Doe’s life arsenic her belief director.
Furthermore, investigators secured corroboration from capable further Odiong complainants gathering nan ineligible modular of probable origin that they could complaint him pinch assaulting Mary and Jane Doe without respect to really agelong agone nan crimes those 2 women reported were.
Among those corroborating complainants was a female who, authorities established, began receiving belief guidance from Odiong aft gathering him successful Luling – and past had a kid pinch him successful nan outpouring of 2023.
Sentencing-related grounds began connected Monday pinch 2 women who were students astatine Waco’s Baylor University while Odiong was a leader astatine a ministry adjacent its campus. Both testified that Odiong touched them inappropriately while successful his capacity arsenic a priest.
The first, a female who said to nan Guardian for its February 2024 report, said that aft a confession Odiong touched her limb and gave her a “bear hug” wherever she could consciousness his erection. Odiong, she said, would not fto her time off nan agency and caressed her arms and breathed sensually.
The 2nd female said he had nibbled her receptor while giving her a hug connected 1 juncture and lifted her from nan crushed by her hips connected another. She besides said that Odiong would stock friendly specifications astir different group successful nan organization – nan benignant of specifications he only would person learned done confession aliases counseling.
A 3rd female from Odiong’s Luling congregation testified that he counseled her hubby arsenic he was dying from a semipermanent unwellness – past made intersexual advances wrong months of her being widowed.
The female said that aft her hubby died, she had traveled pinch Odiong and different Catholics to Medjugorje, a tract successful Bosnia which has attracted a cardinal pilgrims annually since 1981, erstwhile six children and teenagers location said they had witnessed nan quality of nan Virgin Mary.
She said that 1 evening, her and Odiong were unsocial discussing her early without her husband. She testified that she was crying erstwhile Odiong pulled her look to his and kissed her connected nan lips. When she pulled back, she testified, Odiong pulled her successful for different kiss.
Later, successful different section conscionable days earlier Odiong was arrested, nan female and a friend were staying astatine his location successful Florida. The female said she was startled awake successful nan mediate of nan nighttime to find Odiong opinionated adjacent to her bed. Odiong threw nan covers complete nan woman’s assemblage aft she woke up and ran from nan room, she said.
Odiong did not attest successful his ain defense astatine nan proceedings which yielded a blameworthy verdict against him. His attorneys based on passim nan proceedings that Odiong’s actions came successful nan people of consensual making love relationships which whitethorn person violated Catholic priests’ committedness of intersexual celibacy but that he courted successful his individual time.
During nan sentencing information of nan trial, Odiong’s lawyers called a fewer erstwhile parishioners who said they did not witnesser immoderate wrongdoing by nan priest. They described Odiong arsenic a caring and compassionate religion leader. Yet connected transverse examination, galore agreed that nan crimes he was convicted of connected Friday did not befit a man of nan cloth.
For instance, 1 man testified that he met Odiong successful nan Luling religion while he was struggling pinch intoxicant and supplier addiction. That man, now a resident of Nashville, Tennessee, testified that he was possessed by demons – and that Odiong performed an exorcism connected him. He said Odiong saved his life, and that he’s been a devout follower ever since.
When questioned by lead charismatic Ryan Calvert, nan man admitted that he doesn’t uncertainty that Odiong had activity pinch his parishioners, including to nan constituent of fathering a girl pinch one.
“I deliberation that it’s very understandable if he has had friendly relationships pinch women because he is simply a quality being,” said nan man, who besides pledged to financially support Odiong’s kid and her mother. He past alluded to a past nationalist remark of nan precocious blimpish governmental activistic Charlie Kirk: “You play definite games, you triumph definite prizes – if you’re gonna spell person sex.”
$24,000 worthy of jailhouse calls
Details of nan lawsuit person prompted questions astir really Odiong was handled by nan Catholic hierarchy, including wrong New Orleans, whose archdiocese successful December agreed to salary $305m to hundreds of survivors of nan worldwide church’s decades-old clergy maltreatment scandal.
Church officials who were successful complaint of Odiong while he was successful Texas person antecedently said they suspended him from ministering successful and astir Waco nary later than 2019 because of nan clerical misconduct complaints he accumulated. And those officials person said they timely, if privately, informed their New Orleans counterparts of that decision.
But connected Monday, location was grounds suggesting Odiong whitethorn person been banned from ministering wrong nan Waco area earlier than Catholic religion officials person antecedently acknowledged. Notably, charismatic Liz Buice asked a caput of a religion adjacent Waco who was called arsenic 1 of Odiong’s characteristic witnesses whether she knew that nan leader had really been suspended from ministering locally successful 2018.
The caput said she so did cognize that. Nonetheless, different grounds elicited by Calvert and Buice established that Odiong was performing masses arsenic a leader successful and astir Waco beyond 2018.
Also, 1 of nan erstwhile Baylor students connected Monday testified that she had alerted nan section diocese doubly earlier immoderate action was taken. The first time, she contacted nan bishop’s agency straight but heard small successful response. She reported nan incident a 2nd clip successful 2019 done a reporting strategy built for accusations of clerical molestation involving children because location was nary specified action online for big clergy abuse.
New Orleans religion officials successful nan meantime waited astatine slightest 4 much years earlier likewise suspending Odiong. His superiors had besides put him nether scrutiny because of his making homophobic comments from his pulpit astir that time.
Odiong is simply a naturalized US national who gained ordination into nan Catholic priesthood successful his autochthonal Nigeria successful 1993. He developed a pursuing successful portion by holding dream services aft which immoderate attenders reported treatment from important ailments.
In precocious 2024, past Waco detective Bradley DeLange testified astatine a enslaved proceeding for Odiong that supporters of nan leader were helping him build a luxurious location successful Nigeria.
And different supporters testified that they were consenting and capable to lend up to $25,000 to screen their priest’s bond, which was yet group astatine much than $5m, keeping him successful custody for nan long of nan tribunal proceedings against him.
At Monday’s information of Odiong’s sentencing phase, an auditor astatine nan jailhouse successful Waco testified that nan clergyman had spent much than $24,000 conscionable connected telephone calls astatine nan installation since his July 2024 arrest.
