By Ghazali Ibrahim
A Nigerian-born Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, has been convicted by a jury in Texas, United States, for sexually assaulting women who were under his spiritual guidance, in a case that has drawn widespread attention within the Catholic Church.
Odiong, 57, was found guilty of one count of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault after prosecutors argued that he exploited his position as a clergyman to pursue sexual relationships with vulnerable female parishioners seeking spiritual direction.
The verdict was delivered on Friday by a Texas jury made up of eight women and four men following a trial in Waco, where Odiong had previously served as a priest. Jurors reportedly deliberated for about two hours before reaching their decision.
Prosecutors told the court that the priest abused the trust placed in him by women who sought pastoral counselling and spiritual guidance, using his religious authority to manipulate and sexually exploit them. The charges stemmed from allegations involving women whom he met through his ministry in Texas.
During the trial, witnesses testified that Odiong maintained inappropriate sexual relationships with women under his care and justified some of his actions as part of their spiritual journey. One woman told the court she felt ashamed and manipulated after being convinced that the relationship was “spiritual and holy.”
The case also revealed that DNA tests showed Odiong fathered a child with a Louisiana parishioner whom he met while serving as a priest, although he was not criminally charged in connection with that relationship. Prosecutors nevertheless cited the evidence as part of a broader pattern of misconduct.
Odiong, who was ordained in Nigeria in 1993 before moving to the United States, had previously been suspended from ministry by Catholic authorities in Texas and Louisiana following complaints from parishioners.
Following the conviction, church authorities in Louisiana began removing his name from a chapel he helped build, distancing the institution from the disgraced cleric.
The conviction is considered a significant case in the United States because it involved the prosecution of a priest for abusing adult women under his spiritual care, an area that has received increasing scrutiny amid broader efforts to address sexual misconduct within religious institutions.
Odiong now faces the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence, with the first-degree sexual assault conviction carrying a potential life term under Texas law.
