Catholic nuns banish Texas bishop, accuse him of spying in row over chastity
Catholic nuns in Texas have mutinied against their bishop and banned him from their monastery for “spiritual safety” in the latest salvo in a bizarre religious feud.
They say they have been subjected to “aggression, humiliation and spiritual manipulation” as a result of the “attitudes and ambitions” of Bishop Michael Olson.
It comes after Bishop Olson, the bishop of Fort Worth, claimed the head of the priory had broken her vow of chastity with a priest from outside the area.
In a statement this week, the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Arlington denied the claims about their Mother Prioress.
The last few months have seen a battle between the nuns and Bishop Olson inside and outside court, featuring claims of spying, threats of excommunication and an intervention from the Vatican.
Who are the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Arlington?
The saga centres around a group of nuns who live at the priory of the Most Holy Trinity in the city of Arlington, Texas.
They are part of the order of Discalced Carmelites, a Catholic order established in the 16th century.
Under Catholic canon law, their community is considered to be autonomous and nuns renounce family in pursuit of deeper connection with God.
By latest count there are thought to be around 11,500 Discalced Carmelite nuns spread out across the world.
The Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington. Pic: Bing Maps
What started the feud with Bishop Michael Olson?
It dates back to April this year when Bishop Olson, the diocese says, received a report that Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach – the Mother Prioress – had violated her vow of chastity with a priest from outside the area.
“An ecclesiastical investigation into the report of the grave misconduct was initiated,” the diocese said in a statement in May.
In response to the claims, the Arlington nuns filed a million-dollar lawsuit against Bishop Olson and the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth.
In court documents obtained by NBC5 – Sky News’s sister outlet – the nuns claimed Bishop Olson was overstepping his power by disciplining them and taking personal property from the monastery when they answer directly to the Pope and not the local diocese.
The lawsuit alleged that the Bishop took property, namely a computer, iPad, and mobile phone, from Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach, and that after she replaced her confiscated phone her texts were monitored.
They accused the defendants of “spying” on the Sisters by accessing the phone.
District Court Judge Don Cosby ultimately ruled the civil court didn’t have the jurisdiction to rule over a canonical dispute.
Bishop Michael Olson addresses his congregation regarding events at the monastery
What have the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Arlington said?
On 18 August, a statement released on behalf of Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach and the chapter denied claims that had been made against them.
“In recent months our monastery in general and our Mother Prioress in particular have been subjected to unprecedented interference, intimidation, aggression, private and public humiliation and spiritual manipulation as the direct result of the attitudes and ambitions of the current Bishop of Fort Worth,” they said.
It continued: “Our filial trust has been abused by the personal and public behaviours of a man who, in the pursuit of his unspecified personal ends, does not fear to shout at nuns or to humiliate them in private and in public when they protest that their rights have been ignored, who does not hesitate to violate their sacred enclosure through his officials, and whose actions in respect of personal property and privacy are more than seriously questionable.”
In respect of the “calumnies” (false statements) that have been published, the nuns expressed “complete confidence in the personal and moral integrity of its Mother Prioress and in her leadership”.
The blistering statement ended with the nuns announcing that they no longer recognise the authority of Bishop Olson and forbid him and his officials from setting foot on monastery property.
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What has Bishop Michael Olson said?
In a statement the following day, Bishop Olson said the rejection of his authority “hurt me as a friend”.
He continued: “Thus, it is with deep sorrow that I must inform the faithful of the Diocese of Fort Worth, that Mother Teresa Agnes, thereby, may have incurred upon herself latae sententiae, excommunication.”
Bishop Olson warned that the other nuns “depending on their complicity in Mother Teresa Agnes’ publicly, scandalous and schismatic actions” could also have incurred excommunication.
“I stand ready to assist Mother Teresa Agnes on her path of reconciliation and healing,” he added.
Previously, the bishop said that “baseless and false claims” have been made and caused “confusion”.
In a video message on YouTube he claimed that the Mother Prioress had “admitted” breaking her vow of chastity and said any claims of “spying” on the sisters were “ludicrous”.
An intervention from the Vatican?
The ongoing scandal has even reached the ears of senior Catholic figures in the Vatican.
At the end of May, the Vatican appointed Bishop Olson as the Pope’s representative and apparently gave him “full governing powers” over the priory.
Another senior Catholic, however, has spoken out in support of the nuns.
In a statement published on the monastery’s website, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano praised the “courageous resistance” of the Texas nuns.
Archbishop Vigano, best known for publicising two major Vatican scandals, even appeared to be critical of Pope Francis over the matter.
He added: “The Sisters of the Arlington Carmel have an example of heroic resistance against corrupt power in the martyrdom of the Carmelites of Compiegne, who knew how to face the guillotine in order not to submit to the constitutional oath of a revolutionary government.
“It will not be prelates without either dignity or faith who bend the bold resistance of souls in love with Christ.”
The UK-US trade deal has been signed and is “done”, US President Donald Trump has said as he met Sir Keir Starmer at the G7 summit.
The US president told reporters: “We signed it, and it’s done. It’s a fair deal for both. It’ll produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income.”
As Mr Trump and his British counterpart exited a mountain lodge in the Canadian Rockies where the summit is being held, the US president held up a physical copy of the trade agreement to show reporters.
Several leaves of paper fell from the binding, and Mr Starmer quickly bent down to pick them up, saying: “A very important document.”
President Donald Trump drops papers as he meets with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kananaskis, Canada. Pic: AP
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Sir Keir Starmer hastily collects the signed executive order documents from the ground and hands them back to the US president.
Sir Keir said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”
Mr Trump added that the UK was “very well protected” against any future tariffs, saying: “You know why? Because I like them”.
However, he did not say whether levies on British steel exports to the US would be set to 0%, saying “we’re gonna let you have that information in a little while”.
Sir Keir Starmer picks up paper from the UK-US trade deal after Donald Trump dropped it at the G7 summit. Pic: Reuters
Mr Trump also praised Sir Keir as a “great” prime minister, adding: “We’ve been talking about this deal for six years, and he’s done what they haven’t been able to do.”
He added: “We’re very longtime partners and allies and friends and we’ve become friends in a short period of time.
“He’s slightly more liberal than me to put it mildly… but we get along.”
Sir Keir added that “we make it work”.
The US president appeared to mistakenly refer to a “trade agreement with the European Union” at one point as he stood alongside the British prime minister.
Mr Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on countries in April. At the time, he announced 10% “reciprocal” rates on all UK exports – as well as separately announced 25% levies on cars and steel.
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In a joint televised phone call in May, Sir Keir and Mr Trump announced the UK and US had agreed on a trade deal – but added the details were being finalised.
Ahead of the G7 summit, the prime minister said he would meet Mr Trump for “one-on-one” talks, and added the agreement “really matters for the vital sectors that are safeguarded under our deal, and we’ve got to implement that”.
US
Doctor to plead guilty to giving Matthew Perry ketamine before Friends star suffered fatal overdose
A Los Angeles doctor has agreed to plead guilty to giving Friends actor Matthew Perry ketamine in the lead up to his death from a fatal overdose, prosecutors have said.
Dr Salvador Plasencia, who will admit to four counts of distribution of ketamine, faces up to a maximum of 40 years in prison.
He is among five people charged in connection with the death of Friends star Perry, 54, whose body was found in his hot tub by his assistant in October 2023.
The medical examiner ruled that ketamine and other factors caused him to lose consciousness and drown.
The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal treatment for depression, but had begun seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him.
Salvador Plasencia. Pic: Malibu Canyon Urgent Care
Plasencia is accused of supplying the bulk of Perry’s ketamine in his final weeks. He and three other defendants, including another doctor, agreed to plead guilty in exchange for their cooperation.
Jasmine Sangha, who prosecutors allege was a major ketamine dealer, is alleged to have provided the dose that killed the actor and is the only defendant who has pleaded not guilty to the prosecution’s case.
About a month before the actor’s death, Perry found Plasencia, a doctor who allegedly asked another doctor, Mark Chavez, to obtain the drug for him, according to court filings in the Chavez case.
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez, according to court filings from prosecutors.
Dr Mark Chavez has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry. File pic: AP
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The pair who practised in California met up the same day and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine, the filings said.
After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500 (£3,314), Plasencia allegedly asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry’s “go-to” prosecutors said.
Chavez has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry.
Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing.
He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.
US
Suspect in killing of US politician went to homes of other lawmakers in same night, officials say
A man accused of killing a US politician and her husband went to the homes of other lawmakers that night, intending to kill them, officials said.
Vance Boelter, 57, meticulously planned his attacks, carrying out surveillance missions, taking notes on the properties and people he targeted and disguising himself as a police officer, according to Minnesota’s acting US attorney Joseph Thompson.
Read more: Shooting suspect captured after two-day manhunt
Authorities believe Boelter wore a mask as he posed as a police officer and shone a torch in the face of some of his victims to disguise his identity.
The FBI released this image of Vance Boelter posing as a police officer. Pic: FBI.
“It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmare,” said Mr Thompson.
Boelter, 57, allegedly shot and wounded Senator John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in their Minneapolis home in the early hours of Saturday morning.
John Hoffman. Pic: Facebook/Senator John Hoffman
He then travelled to the home of another state lawmaker but she and her family were on holiday, so they didn’t answer the door, said Mr Thompson.
Video showed that Boelter rang the doorbell at around 2.24am on Friday but left when the family didn’t respond.
Vance Boelter. Pic: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office/Reuters
He then drove to the home of an unnamed state senator, but after the Hoffmans’ adult daughter called emergency services to say her parents had been shot, a police officer was dispatched to conduct a wellness check.
That officer saw Boelter’s car parked up the street but thought he was another officer, said Mr Thompson.
Boelter had reportedly altered his car to make it look more like a police car.
He then left and drove to the home of lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, according to an FBI affidavit.
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Melissa Hortman. Pic: Instagram
Local police officers, also conducting a check, arrived to see Boelter fatally shoot Mark Hortman through the open door of the home, according to the document.
Melissa Hortman was found dead inside.
Boelter was arrested on Sunday evening after a huge manhunt in a rural area in Sibley County, southwest of Minneapolis.
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He faces two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder in the deaths of the Hortmans and the wounding of Mr Hoffman and his wife.
Before his arrest, the father of five texted his family group chat saying: “Dad went to war last night … I don’t wanna say more because I don’t wanna implicate anybody,” according to the affidavit.
His wife got another text that said: “Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation… there’s gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don’t want you guys around,” the document said.
Several AK-style firearms and a list of about 70 names, which included politicians and abortion rights activists, were allegedly found inside his vehicle.
A Minnesota official said politicians who had been outspoken in favour of abortion rights were on the list.
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