The trial of a Catholic priest in a Texas criminal court is slated to begin later this month, on charges of serial sexual assault against multiple victims.
The accused cleric is 57-year-old Father Anthony Odiong of Uyo diocese in Nigeria, who served in the Diocese of Austin from 2006 to 2012 and garnered a significant following as a spiritual counselor and popular preacher with a healing ministry.
A Crux Now review reveals significant discrepancies in the Diocese of Austin’s statements at various times regarding Odiong, raising questions about the management of the case by Austin diocesan officials and several other major Church jurisdictions.
The case in brief
Waco police have said that at least eight women came forward after Odiong’s arrest in July 2024 on a charge of possession of child pornography, alleging that he used his position as a priest and spiritual adviser to manipulate and sexually assault them.
Under Texas state law, it is a felony for clergy or others with roles of pastoral or spiritual authority to exploit their position in obtaining another person’s participation in a sex act.
The various alleged assaults reportedly took place between 2007 and 2023, several of them during the time Odiong was serving in the Diocese of Austin.
While in the Austin diocese, Odiong served at Saint Mary’s of the Assumption parish in the town of West and at the Saint Peter’s Catholic Student Center in Waco.
After leaving Austin, Odiong served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans under Archbishop Gregory Aymond.
Odiong was pastor of Saint Anthony of Padua in Luling, Louisiana, and part-time faculty at the New Orleans archdiocesan Notre Dame seminary.
Aymond, whose tenure in New Orleans was troubled by a serious scandal stemming from the management of abuse cases and, especially in its later years, dominated by archdiocesan bankruptcy proceedings, served as Bishop of Austin from 2001 to 2009.
It was under Aymond’s leadership that Odiong first came to Austin, and it was Aymond who invited Odiong to serve in New Orleans beginning in 2015.
A murky timeline of complaints
It is not clear when Church officials in Austin first had complaints against Odiong, but the diocese issued a statement to local Waco news outlet KWTX after the priest’s arrest in July of 2024, saying it had sent a warning to New Orleans and to Odiong’s home diocese of Uyo in 2019.
“In 2019,” the July 16, 2024, statement read, “the Diocese of Austin sent written communication to Fr. Odiong confirming that he did not have authorization to engage in priestly ministry in the Diocese of Austin, even on a temporary basis.”
The statement said that the decision “was based on complaints that the diocese had received regarding Fr. Odiong’s behavior with adult women as well as his failure to follow the protocol for visiting clergy to present a testimonial of suitability for ministry from his bishop.”
“That written communication was also sent to the Archdiocese of New Orleans,” the statement went on to say, “and to his own bishop in Uyo.”
Questions unanswered
In queries sent to Austin, Crux Now noted that the diocese had received serious complaints against Odiong no later than 2019. Those complaints were so worrisome that Austin alerted both New Orleans and Uyo and required Odiong to obtain permission to visit the diocese.
Crux Now asked the Diocese of Austin why those complaints did not cause the diocese to warn the faithful at the time.
Austin’s diocesan communications director, Camille Garcia, citing the ongoing criminal proceedings, declined to answer our questions.
“Because criminal proceedings involving Fr. Anthony Odiong, a priest of the Diocese of Uyo, Nigeria, are pending,” Garcia told Crux Now via email, “we do not believe it is prudent to respond to requests from the media.”
Garcia said the Diocese of Austin has worked “and will continue to work with law enforcement in their efforts to bring this matter to a just conclusion.”
“Once we are able to share any information with the faithful,” Garcia said, “we will do so when appropriate, ensuring that we do not impede any decisions or actions being taken by civil authorities.”
Discrepancies
Before the July 2024 statement to KWTX, the Diocese of Austin had issued two other statements to parishes regarding Odiong, one in late 2023 and the other in early 2024.
The first, in December of 2023, came after investigative reporting by The Guardian revealed complaints of sexual misconduct against the Nigerian priest, and mentioned “allegations of sexual misconduct” against Odiong “from one or more adult women.”
“The allegations cover a period that includes the time [Odiong] served in McLennan County,” which is within the Austin diocesan territory, “and the years he served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.”
Another followed in February of 2024, after further investigative reporting by The Guardian.
The February 2024 statement from Austin said Odiong was “informed” in 2019 “that he no longer had permission to engage in any priestly ministry in the Diocese of Austin, nor could he visit any of the diocese’s parishes without prior permission.”
“[Odiong] was also informed that a violation of these restrictions could necessitate making them public,” the February 2024 statement also said.
Austin’s statement of December 16, 2023, made no mention of restrictions.
Austin’s statement of February 24, 2024, mentioned that Odiong was not allowed to visit the diocese without permission.
Neither of the Austin diocese’s statements to parishes mentioned the complaints from women against Odiong, which were serious enough to warrant alerting at least two other bishops in 2019.
The February 24, 2024, statement also said Austin diocesan officials had been “informed by officials of Fr. Odiong’s diocese that he does not have permission from his bishop to be in this area nor the neighboring dioceses,” and had been recalled to his home diocese in Nigeria.
Austin’s February 24, 2024, statement “recommended” that the faithful of Austin avoid contact with Odiong.
“We recommend declining any invitation to attend an event at which Fr. Odiong will be known to be present or involved,” the February 24, 2024, statement from Austin said.
Twelve days earlier, however, the vicar general of the neighboring Diocese of Fort Worth had sent a memo to all clergy and parishes regarding Odiong, asking that the memo be published in all parish bulletins and posted to parish websites and social media accounts.
The memo did not mention complaints from women against Odiong but did say Fort Worth had “been informed by the Diocese of Austin” that Odiong was “believed to be residing” within Austin diocesan confines.
The Fort Worth memo, dated February 12, 2024, says Fort Worth had learned Odiong was “engaging with parishioners and participating in unsanctioned events without permission.”
Fort Worth also said Odiong had been recalled to his native Nigeria and was flouting his own bishop’s command to return home.
The Fort Worth memo, in short, presented the diocese’s parishes with news of a rogue priest ministering without authorization from his own bishop or from local Church authorities, but gave no indication that Austin had advised Fort Worth of the danger Odiong posed to the faithful.
“Odiong,” the Fort Worth memo states, “has been instructed by the Diocese of Austin not to engage in ministry, visit parishes, or engage with parishioners within the Diocese of Austin.”
The statement from the Austin diocese, nearly two weeks later, however, did not mention prohibitions against visiting parishes or engaging parishioners, but only required that Odiong obtain permission from Austin diocesan authorities before visiting.
In our email queries to the Diocese of Austin, Crux Now noted the July 16, 2024, statement, in which Austin said Odiong had been without authorization to serve within the diocese since 2012.
“Since Fr. Odiong’s conclusion of service in the Diocese of Austin in 2012,” Austin’s statement to KWTX said, “he has not had authorization to minister as a priest within the twenty-five-county area comprising the Diocese of Austin.”
Examination of public records shows that Odiong was in the Austin diocese frequently between 2013 and 2017, often to celebrate funeral Masses at which other clergy are listed as having been present.
At the time Odiong officially left Austin in 2012, the bishop was Joe S. Vasquez, who became the Archbishop of Galveston-Houston in January 2025.
Crux Now also asked the Austin diocese whether Odiong has ever been placed under canonical restriction (precept) by Austin or by any other Church authority, either in July of 2024 or at any time before or since, but the diocese declined to answer that question, as well.
Austin’s email to Crux Now declined to answer any of our questions, but included mention of Austin’s current bishop, Daniel Garcia, who “has thanked the law enforcement authorities for their work and diligence related to the investigation.”
Garcia became the Bishop of Austin in September of last year.
The prelate, however, was a priest of Austin who served as vicar general and moderator of the diocesan curia beginning in 2014. Garcia became an auxiliary bishop under Pope Francis in 2015, before being tapped to lead the Diocese of Monterrey in January 2019.
“Bishop Garcia asks the faithful to continue to pray for an end to all types of abuse against persons,” the email from Austin said.
Odiong’s criminal trial is slated to begin on Monday, May 26, 2026.
Follow Chris Altieri on X: @craltieri
