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.”
Donald Trump has said there are “many points” he and Vladimir Putin agreed on after holding critical talks on the war in Ukraine – but no deal has been reached yet.
Following the much-anticipated meeting in Alaska, which lasted more than two-and-a-half hours, the two leaders gave a short media conference giving little detail about what had been discussed, and without taking questions.
Mr Trump described the meeting as “very productive” and said there were “many points that we agreed on… I would say a couple of big ones”.
Trump-Putin summit – latest updates
Trump and Putin in Alaska. Pic: Reuters
There are a few left, he added. “Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there…
“We haven’t quite got there, we’ve made some headway. There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
Mr Putin described the negotiations as “thorough and constructive”, and said Russia was “seriously interested in putting an end” to the war in Ukraine. He also warned Europe not to “torpedo nascent progress”.
Donald Trump greets Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Pic: AP/ Julia Demaree Nikhinson
After much build-up to the summit, it was ultimately not clear whether the talks produced meaningful steps towards a ceasefire in what has been the deadliest conflict in Europe in 80 years.
Mr Trump said he intended to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders, who were excluded from the discussions, to brief them.
The news conference came after a grand arrival earlier in the day at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, where the US president stepped down from Air Force One and later greeted his Russian counterpart with a handshake and smiles on a red carpet.
Mr Putin even travelled alongside Mr Trump in the presidential limousine, nicknamed “The Beast”.
It was the kind of reception typically reserved for close US allies, belying the bloodshed and the suffering in the war.
Before the talks, the two presidents ignored frantically-shouted questions from journalists – and Mr Putin appeared to frown when asked by one reporter if he would stop “killing civilians” in Ukraine, putting his hand to his ear as though to indicate he could not hear.
Our US correspondent Martha Kelner, on the ground in Alaska, said he was shouting “let’s go” – apparently in reference to getting the reporters out of the room.
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For Ukrainians, the spectacle of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump meeting in Alaska will be repugnant.
The man behind an unprovoked invasion of their country is being honoured with a return to the world stage by the leader of a country that was meant to be their ally.
And they feel let down.
Follow latest updates from Ukraine war
President Trump had threatened severe sanctions on Russia within 50 days if Russia didn’t agree to a deal. He had seemed close to imposing them before letting Putin wriggle off the hook yet again.
But they are not surprised. At every stage, Trump has either sided with Russia or at least given them the benefit of the doubt.
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‘Putin won’t mess around with me’
It is clear that Putin has some kind of hold over this American president, in their minds and many others.
Ukraine wants three things out of these talks. A ceasefire, security guarantees and reparations. It is not clear at this stage that they will get any of them.
Ukrainians and their European allies are appalled at the naive and cack-handed diplomacy that has preceded this meeting.
Vladimir Putin is sending a team of foreign affairs heavyweights, adept at getting the better of opponents in negotiations.
There are, the Financial Times reported this week, no Russia specialists left at the Trump White House.
Instead, Trump is relying on Steve Witkoff, a real estate lawyer and foreign policy novice, who has demonstrated a haphazard mastery of his brief and breathtaking credulity with the Russians.
Former British spy chief Sir Alex Younger described him today as totally out of his depth. Trump, he says, is being played like a fiddle by Putin.
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There is a fundamental misunderstanding of the conflict at the heart of the Trump administration’s handling of it. Witkoff and the president see it in terms of real estate. But it has never been about territory.
Vladimir Putin has made it abundantly clear that Ukraine’s existence as a sovereign democratic entity cannot be tolerated. He has made no pretence that his views on that have changed.
Ukrainians know that and fear any deal cooked up in Alaska will be used by Putin on the path towards that ultimate goal
Melania Trump has threatened to sue Hunter Biden for more than $1bn (£736.5m) in damages if he does not retract comments linking her to Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Biden, who is the son of former US president Joe Biden, alleged in an interview this month that sex trafficker Epstein introduced the first lady to President Donald Trump.
“Epstein introduced Melania to Trump. The connections are, like, so wide and deep,” he claimed.
Ms Trump’s lawyer labelled the comments false, defamatory and “extremely salacious” in a letter to Mr Biden.
Hunter Biden. File pic: AP
Her lawyer wrote that the first lady suffered “overwhelming financial and reputational harm” as the claims were widely discussed on social media and reported by media around the world.
The president and first lady previously said they were introduced by modelling agent Paolo Zampolli at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998.
Mr Biden attributed the claim that Epstein introduced the couple to author Michael Wolff, who was accused by Mr Trump of making up stories to sell books in June and was dubbed a “third-rate reporter” by the president.
The former president’s son doubled down on his remarks in a follow-up interview with the same YouTube outlet, Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan, entitled “Hunter Biden Apology”.
Asked if he would apologise to the first lady, Mr Biden responded: “F*** that – that’s not going to happen.”
He added: “I don’t think these threats of lawsuits add up to anything other than designed distraction.”
Ms Trump’s threat to sue Mr Biden echoes a strategy employed by her husband, who has aggressively used legal action to go after critics.
Public figures like the Trumps must meet a high bar to succeed in a defamation suit like the one that could be brought by the first lady if she follows through with her threat.
In his initial interview, Mr Biden also hit out at “elites” and others in the Democratic Party, who he claims undermined his father before he dropped out of last year’s race for president.
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The letter threatening legal action against Mr Biden is dated 6 August and was first reported by Fox News Digital.
It was addressed to Abbe Lowell, a lawyer who has represented Mr Biden in his criminal cases. Mr Lowell has not yet commented on the letter.
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Trump claims Epstein ‘stole’ Virginia Giuffre
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This comes as pressure on the White House to release the Epstein files has been mounting for weeks, after he made a complete U-turn on his administration’s promise to release more information publicly.
The US Justice Department, which confirmed in July that it would not be releasing the files, said a review of the Epstein case had found “no incriminating ‘client list'” and “no credible evidence” the jailed financier – who killed himself in prison in 2019 – had blackmailed famous men.
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