Courtesy of Matthew Bobo
A group of Texas nuns, who have been feuding with a local bishop for months after he accused one of breaking her chastity vows, have banned Bishop Michael Olson of the Fort Worth Diocese from their monastery and demanded he "repent" and apologize.
In an unusual public statement, the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Arlington said they no longer recognize the authority of Olson or the Fort Worth Diocese, and forbid any diocese officials from from entering the monastery property or interacting with its nuns.
"No one who abuses us, as has the current Bishop of Fort Worth, has any right to our cooperation or obedience," the statement said. "For our own spiritual and psychological safety, and in justice, we must remain independent of this Bishop until such time as he repents of the abuse to which he has subjected us."
The nuns' statement said they remain "utterly faithful" to the Catholic Church, but that they cannot in good conscience cooperate with the Diocese.
The conflict between the Arlington nuns and the Fort Worth Diocese began in May, when the bishop and his officials arrived at the monastery, interrogated the nuns, and confiscated their phones and electronic devices as part of an investigation into whether the Reverend Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach violated her vow of chastity with a priest.
In Catholicism, a chastity vow is a promise of celibacy made by nuns and priests. The nuns' attorney, Matthew Bobo, has previously told Insider the allegation against Gerlach was false and "insulting."
The nuns filed a $1 million lawsuit shortly after Olson made his allegations public, alleging that Olson and the Diocese were abusing their power. In a June court hearing, the Diocese played an audio recording in which Gerlach told Olson she broke her vows with a priest both in person and over the phone, according to local ABC affiliate WFAA.
WFAA also reported that Olson's right-hand man, Father Jonathan Charles Wallis, testified during the hearing that Gerlach told him she had fallen in love with the priest. Wallis also testified that Gerlach was called a "whore" by a fellow nun.
A Texas judge dismissed the nuns' lawsuit in June, ruling that their allegations against the Fort Worth Diocese were church matters and not civil matters.
Bobo, the nuns' attorney, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, but told the Fort Worth Report that there are no plans to appeal the lawsuit's dismissal, as the Vatican is conducting a canonical investigation into the matter, and can only proceed if the civil litigation is completed.
Olson released a statement on Friday saying Gerlach may be excommunicated "by her own schismatic actions," adding that the monastery would remain closed to public access until it "publicly disavows itself of these scandalous and schismatic actions of Mother Teresa Agnes."
"This has hurt me as a friend and as the bishop because of the deep wound this has cut in our unity as the Diocese of Fort Worth," Olson wrote.
He added that he stood ready to "assist Mother Teresa Agnes on her path of reconciliation and healing."
