Catholic church had been alerted to Texas priest’s sexual predation for years – but dawdled before acting

Odiong was only removed by the New Orleans officials in connection with the various complaints against him when he also made comments from his pulpit dehumanizing LGBTQ+ people – mere months before his arrest by the Texas authorities who would later convict him. 

The documents afford the public its most complete look yet at exactly what church officials knew about Odiong – and when. 

Furthermore, the records raise serious questions about whether officials whose church has spent years navigating clergy abuse scandals worldwide did all they could to safeguard those whom Odiong encountered through his work...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/15/anthony-odiong-sexual-abuse-catholic-church

 

A New Orleans attorney was punished for exposing a clergy abuser. Here’s what officials hid for years

Richard Trahant appeals to supreme court after he was fined $400,000 for helping get priest removed from school – and the record of his sanction was placed under seal

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/23/richard-trahant-new-orleans-clergy-abuse 

 

Catholic priest in Louisiana charged with child sexual abuse

Korey LaVergne, 37, of the Lafayette diocese, charged with three counts of felony indecent behavior with a juvenile…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/13/catholic-priest-louisiana-charged

 

Former priest who served under two Louisiana governors arrested for allegedly raping disabled child

He is among at least five men who have worked as Catholic clergymen in New Orleans to have been arrested in connection with allegations of child sexual abuse after the city's archdiocese filed for federal bankruptcy protection in 2020. The church's bankruptcy filing was meant to limit its financial liability with respect to hundreds of claims of clergy abuse, mostly victimizing children, over the course of decades...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/26/louisiana-former-priest-arrested-rape-allegation

 

A Pennsylvania priest has been accused of rigging his church's Corvette raffle

… and possibly embezzlement …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeaTpYmnKGc 

Immigrant Priest gunned down by a MAGAt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpfOpzbBpQA

 

This Michigan Priest Is Combatting Gun Buyback Scams One Target Gift Card at a time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPbpIzJxE5U

Survivors Network (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)

After discussing some of Trump’s religiously motivated executive orders and appointments, we focus on some of the bad bills in the states, including Oklahoma, Idaho, Alabama, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. 

Then we speak with David Clohessy, a survivor of childhood sexual molestation by clergy, who is the former director of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. He outlines the severity of the problem and offers hope for dealing with the dangers of pedophilic priests and ministers.

Interview: 

https://ffrf.org/news/freethought-radio/freethought-today-february-20-2025/

Charity-founding Greek Priest Convicted Of Abuse - Barron's

A prominent Greek priest running one of the country's best-known child charities was convicted Thursday of beating minors in his care, along with four other staff, justice sources said...

https://www.barrons.com/news/charity-founding-greek-priest-convicted-of-abuse-5c93c47d

Anglican Priest COPIES Elon’s SALUTE and RUINS HIS LIFE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ87Qcxhlw4

Clergy abuse survivors say there’s still ‘long ways to go’ after sentencing of New Orleans priest

Hecker showed up unannounced in the weight room one day and made small talk with the boy about sports. He suddenly put the child in a wrestling-style headlock until he was unconscious and raped him, according to court filings. 

The survivor later told his mother and school officials about the rape. But he said the principal, Paul Calamari, never alerted police. Instead, Calamari threatened the survivor with expulsion unless he underwent psychological treatment for what the school official dismissed as "anger issues and fantasy stories". 

Hecker initially denied those accusations. But in 1999, he did admit in writing to his church superiors that he had molested or sexually harassed several other children whom he met through his ministry...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/19/clergy-abuse-survivors-lawrence-hecker-sentence

Retired New Orleans priest pleads guilty to kidnapping and raping boy in 1970s

Lawrence Hecker, 93, is set to receive a life sentence after admitting to attacking boy in church bell tower…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/03/lawrence-hecker-retired-new-orleans-priest-pleads-guilty-child-kidnapping-rape-boy

Catholic priest accused of sexual assault fathered children of victims, court hears

Odiong at the time sought to falsely persuade his parishioners that his removal resulted from his opposition to efforts endorsed by Pope Francis to make the church more welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/26/catholic-priest-anthony-odiong-sexual-assault-bail-hearing

Priest demoted after Sabrina Carpenter video inquiry reveals $1.9m scandal

An investigation launched after the video revealed that Gigantiello made unauthorized financial transfers to a former top aide in Eric Adams's administration, which is being investigated on charges of corruption, Brennan said...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/18/priest-jamie-gigantiello-sabrina-carpenter-eric-adams-aide

Roman Catholic priest jailed for child abuse images charged with sexual assault

New charges filed against Anthony Odiong after eight accusers came forward alleging unwelcome sexual conduct…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/18/catholic-priest-jailed

‘It wasn’t a big deal’: secret deposition reveals how a child molester priest was shielded by his church (The Guardian)

Lawrence Hecker pleaded the fifth 117 times as he detailed how the Catholic Church protected him for more than two decades after he admitted to molesting children…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2024/may/09/new-orleans-catholic-church-abuse

Ex-deacon whose son was sexually abused by a priest is excommunicated from church

Bishop J Douglas Deshotel issued the order after Scott Peyton had resigned from his post, but the abusive priest was not censured… 

 Peyton said Deshotel's words left him gobsmacked. The day before his excommunication, despite having resigned, one of the churches in the Lafayette diocese recognized Peyton as the region's "deacon of the day" in a Facebook post that displayed a photo of him smiling. Now he wasn't even really a Catholic any more in the eyes of his bishop. 

 "That's not Christ-like," Peyton said. "That's … a fancy way of the bishop … telling me to go to hell."…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/22/louisiana-deacon-excommunicated-son-sexual-abuse

A Catholic priest accused of misconduct was suspended in Texas. Why did New Orleans let him preach?

Several people in Texas are not heeding the Austin diocese's warning...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/22/catholic-priest-texas-anthony-odiong-new-orleans

Texas: Roman Catholic priest faces child sexual abuse and trafficking charges

Fernando Gonzalez Ortega's arrest shows clergy has not uprooted all molesters despite reform calls, abuse victims and advocates say…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/21/texas-priest-child-sexual-abuse-trafficking

Italian priest struck off for calling Francis an ‘anti-pope usurper’ | Pope Francis | The Guardian

His excommunication, however, came swiftly. Simone Giusti, the bishop of Livorno, issued a decree saying Guidetti had "publicly committed an act of a schismatic nature" and ordered him to be "removed from the office of parish priest of St Ranieri in Guasticce". The bishop warned other priests "not to participate in any of his celebrations or other cult practices" as that would incur "the very serious penalty of excommunication"...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/03/italian-priest-struck-off-for-calling-francis-an-anti-pope-usurper