Internal Catholic church documents, recently reviewed by The Guardian, indicate that church officials were aware of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against priest Anthony Odiong for years, yet allegedly delayed decisive action. The revelations come after Odiong was convicted of first and second-degree sexual assault in Texas and sentenced to life imprisonment in May.
The extensive files, spanning over 200 pages, detail a troubling timeline stretching back to 2006-2012, when Odiong was ministering in a region including Waco, Texas. During this period, the Austin, Texas diocese reportedly received a significant number of misconduct complaints against him. Despite these complaints, in September 2018, three years into what was meant to be a temporary three-year role at St Anthony of Padua church in Luling, Louisiana, Odiong's supervisors in New Orleans extended his term by another three years.
By 2021, even after speaking with a woman who accused Odiong of a years-long abusive sexual relationship – at least the fifth female congregant to make such claims – his superiors sought to prolong his appointment for a further six years, until 2027. Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans at the time reportedly praised Odiong's 'fidelity and dedication' during this extension. Odiong later fathered a child with a sixth woman he met through his clerical work, violating his vow of celibacy.
It was civil law enforcement in Waco, Texas, where Odiong had also previously served, that eventually brought him to justice. He was arrested by Texas authorities and subsequently convicted, with a jury sentencing him to life imprisonment. The internal church documents suggest that officials in New Orleans not only kept Odiong in his position for over five years after being notified of complaints but also vouched for his 'good moral character and reputation' to other locales where he travelled.
Odiong was only removed from his New Orleans post when he made dehumanising comments about LGBTQ+ people from his pulpit, mere months before his arrest. The documents raise serious questions about whether church officials, despite years of navigating clergy abuse scandals globally, did all they could to protect those encountered by Odiong. It appears supervisors waited years to prohibit his ministry, seemingly because his accusers were not minors and did not meet their strict criteria for 'vulnerable adults' – typically defined by severe intellectual, developmental, or psychological disabilities.