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.”
America’s military top brass have left their posts to attend a meeting with the US president and defence secretary about the “warrior ethos”.
Hundreds of officers travelled from around the world to attend the occasion at a marine corps base in Quantico, Virginia. It is a rare gathering of the US military’s top tier, all in the one place.
There has been much speculation about the substance of Tuesday’s meeting, given its scale and short notice with minimal explanation.
Donald Trump told NBC News, Sky’s US partner network, it is “really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things”.
“We have some great people coming in, and it’s just an esprit de corps,” he said.
“You know the expression ‘esprit de corps?’ That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and how we’re doing.”
Trump and Hegseth watch a US anniversary military parade in Washington in June. Pic: Reuters
‘Department of War’
The officers were summoned by defence secretary Pete Hegseth, who has adopted the slogan “Make America Lethal Again”. Ahead of the meeting, he has said his intention is to outline a new vision for the military and restore what he calls the “warrior ethos”.
Hegseth is the former TV presenter picked by Trump to run the defence department, now rebranded the Department of War. He has a military background, serving as an infantry officer in the National Guard.
His audience in Quantico will number the country’s most senior generals and admirals. Over 800 of the rank of brigadier-general and above will be there, along with their navy equivalents.
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Since he started in post, Hegseth has fired a number of senior officers. In May, he ordered a 20% cut in the number of four-star generals and admirals, and he targeted flag and general officers with a 10% reduction.
A controversial figure, Hegseth has accused some members of senior rank of being responsible for a woke culture and, in the past, has questioned the role of women in the military.
YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5m (£18.1m) to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump after it banned his account following the January 6 Capitol riot.
The US president was suspended from the Google-owned platform over his role in the insurrection, which saw his supporters attempt to stop Joe Biden’s 2020 election win from being ratified.
More than four years on from the violent scenes that left a police officer dead, court documents filed on Monday revealed that $22m (£16.3m) from the settlement will go towards a trust for Washington DC’s National Mall and the construction of a White House ballroom.
The remainder will be paid to other parties involved in the case, including the American Conservative Union.
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Google declined to comment on the reasons for the settlement, which does not constitute an admission of liability.
Mr Trump’s YouTube account has been back online since 2023.
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Google’s parent company Alphabet is the third tech firm to settle with Mr Trump over what he perceived as an illegitimate muzzling of him online following the riot.
He was also suspended from Meta’s platforms and Twitter, moves which saw him gravitate towards his own social media platform – Truth Social.
The president and his supporters have falsely maintained that the 2020 election was stolen.
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Meta – which owns Facebook and Instagram – agreed to pay $25m (£18.6m) to settle Mr Trump’s lawsuit, and X (what Twitter became after being bought by Elon Musk in 2022) settled for $10m (£7.4m).
Alphabet boss Sundar Pichai, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, and Mr Musk all attended Mr Trump’s inauguration this year, with the latter having been a key contributor to his 2024 election campaign.
He led the Trump administration’s cost-cutting DOGE unit during the early months of 2025.
Five people have been killed, including the gunman, and at least eight others injured after a mass shooting and fire at a Mormon church in Michigan, police have said.
The incident took place at around 10.25am local time on Sunday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, about 50 miles north of Detroit.
The suspect – identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, from the nearby city of Burton – was shot dead by police officers.
He served in the Marines from June 2004 to June 2008 and was deployed in Iraq, Sky News’ US partner network NBC News reported.
What we know about the suspect in the Michigan church shooting
Flames and smoke rising from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc. Pic: Julie J, @Malkowski6April/AP
Sanford drove a vehicle through the front doors of the church before opening fire with an assault rifle, police said.
He then exited the vehicle and began firing rounds at people who were attending Sunday service, before deliberately starting the blaze, police added.
The blaze has been extinguished but authorities believe they will find additional victims in the charred building.
At around 8pm on Sunday (1am in the UK), Grand Blanc Township Chief William Renye confirmed that a further two victims were found in the burned remains of the church, in addition to two other victims who had suffered gunshot wounds.
As many as three improvised devices were found at the scene, according to two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation, NBC reported.
Police believe the number of victims may rise. Pic: AP
According to Chief Renye, when gunfire broke out, people inside the church bravely put themselves at risk to protect the children.
“They were shielding the children who were also present within the church, moving them to safety,” he said. “Just extreme courage.”
Chief Renye said law enforcement officers arrived at the church within 30 seconds of receiving a 911 call. The suspect was “neutralised” in the back parking lot within eight minutes by a Department of Natural Resources officer and a Grand Blanc Township officer, he said.
Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that “my heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community” after the shooting.
She added: “Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable. I am grateful to the first responders who took action quickly.”
Sheriff: ‘Entire church is on fire’
Genesee County sheriff Christopher Swanson said at around 12.20pm that the “entire church” was on fire, and confirmed that people who were at the church had been evacuated.
Around 20 minutes later, the police department said the fire had been contained.
The incident took place at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc.
US attorney general Pam Bondi confirmed the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were responding to the incident.
US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that “the suspect is dead, but there is still a lot to learn”, before saying the shooting “appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America”.
He added: “PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!”
In the wake of the shooting and fire, the New York Police Department said it would deploy officers to religious institutions across the city “out of an abundance of caution”.
The incident occurred the morning after Russell M Nelson, the oldest-ever president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died aged 101.
Shootings reported in North Carolina, New Orleans, Texas
Meanwhile, authorities responded to a mass shooting at a coastal town in North Carolina late on Saturday, where three people were killed.
Five others were injured in that incident, where someone opened fire from a boat into a crowd at a bar.
Police described the incident as a “highly premeditated” attack.
According to Sky News’ US partner network NBC, Nigel Max Edge, 40, was detained by the Coast Guard and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon on Sunday morning.
He remains in custody without bond, jail records show.
Another shooting took place at a south Texas casino early on Sunday, with seven people shot and two killed.
A woman was also killed, and three others were injured in Bourbon Street, New Orleans, early on Sunday after a shooting.
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