![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-300x200.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
Spain beat England 1-0 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Sydney on Sunday to win their first title. Following are some facts and statistics from the ninth edition of the tournament, which was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand:
Number of matches: 64
Number of teams: 32
Venues: 10, in nine host cities
Goals scored: 164, highest at any edition of the World Cup
Penalties taken: 27, excluding shootouts
Top scorer: Hinata Miyazawa of Japan (five goals)
Fastest goal: after 68 seconds, scored by Panama’s Marta Cox against France in the group stage
Highest scoring team: Spain (18 goals)
Biggest win: Netherlands 7-0 Vietnam in the group stage
Youngest player: Casey Phair of South Korea, at 16 years and 26 days, the youngest ever in the history of the tournament
Winning team’s prize money: $4.29 million
Total prize money: $110 million
Highest match attendance: 75,784 for four games at full capacity at Stadium Australia in Sydney
Total attendance: 1,978,274
Average attendance: 30,911 (more than 9,000 above the average for the 2019 edition in France, which had 24 teams participating)
