A United States-based Nigerian Catholic priest, Rev. Anthony Odiong, has been convicted by a jury in Texas for sexually assaulting women under his spiritual care.
The 57-year-old cleric was found guilty of one count of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault after a trial in Waco, Texas.
The verdict was delivered on Friday by a jury comprising eight women and four men after about two hours of deliberation.
Court records showed that two women testified during the trial that the priest used his position as a spiritual leader to initiate and sustain inappropriate relationships with them while providing counselling.
Prosecutors told the court that Odiong abused his authority within the Catholic ministry to manipulate women seeking spiritual guidance.
Although the defendant pleaded not guilty, prosecutors maintained that he exploited the trust placed in him as a priest to engage in sexual misconduct.
The defence, however, argued that the relationships were consensual.
The court also heard testimony from a victim identified as Mary Doe, who said the priest began a sexual relationship with her during a difficult period in her divorce, while she was receiving spiritual counselling.
Another witness, Jane Doe, told the court that she was pressured into sexual acts under the guise of spiritual direction.
Prosecutors further informed the jury that DNA evidence indicated that Odiong fathered a child with another woman who had also been under his spiritual guidance.
Odiong, a naturalised American citizen, was ordained as a Catholic priest in Nigeria in 1993 and had served in various parishes across Texas and Louisiana.
He faces a possible life sentence on the first-degree sexual assault conviction when sentencing begins on Monday, June 1.
