Disabled Reverend Mother Superior at Texas Carmelite convent sues 'pure evil' local bishop for $1M 'after he interrogated her while she was high on fentanyl post-surgery and got her to admit to sex with a priest'
- Carmelite convent in Arlington, Texas filed the suit against Bishop Michael Olson
- Olson allegedly burst into convent to accuse Mother Superior of xesual affair
- Nuns seek damages of $1M and slam Olson, saying they answer only to the Pope
Reverend Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach, who leads the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington, filed the bombshell suit against Bishop Michael Olson in Tarrant County Court.
The suit alleges that in April, Olson burst into the Carmelite convent, where the nuns spend most of their day in devotion and silent prayer, confiscating their cell phones and 'interrogating' Gerlach about her alleged sexual affair with an unnamed priest.
Gerlach, who has serious heath issues and uses a wheelchair, said that Olson even grilled her on the matter immediately after a surgical procedure that required general anesthesia, while she was still under the influence of fentanyl. The diocese says she admitted to breaking her vow of chastity, which forbids Catholic clergy from having sex.
'The level of emotional trauma and infliction of psychological distress this whole episode has caused me personally and the Sisters is incomprehensible,' said Gerlach in a sworn affidavit. 'We have never faced such moral violence and adversity.'
Catholic priests and nuns all take strict vows of celibacy, violation of which can bring severe penalties within the church.
- Reverend Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach, prioress of the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington, Texas, has filed a bombshell lawsuit against the local bishop
- Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson (left) says he was investigating claims that Gerlach had 'violated her vow of chastity with a priest' from outside the diocese
In response to the suit, the Diocese of Fort Worth issued a statement reporting allegations that Gerlach had 'violated her vow of chastity with a priest' from outside the diocese.
The statement said that Olson was conducting a 'ecclesiastical investigation into the report of the grave misconduct'.
In court filings, the diocese alleged that Gerlach had admitted to the xesual liaison, and the diocese asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed, according to the local CBS affiliate, which claimed the nun's suit described Olson as 'pure evil'.
For their part, the nuns cite canon law and say that the local bishop has no authority over the Order of Carmelite Nuns, which maintains the convent on a secluded 72-acre property.
'We are not and have never been under the control of the Bishop of the local Diocese: we answer directly to the Pope,' said Gerlach in the affidavit.
'I was stunned when Bishop Olson for all intents and purposes forced himself onto our peaceful community,' she added.
The lawsuit states that the Carmelite nuns 'are a cloistered Order of women dedicated to a life of contemplative prayer' who attend Mass each morning, and then gather seven times a day to chant the Liturgy of the Hours.
'The rest of their day is focused on contemplative prayer, the silent loving person to person relationship with Jesus Christ, a living prayer for the benefit of others,' the suit notes.
- Mother Superior made the extraordinary allegations in a sworn affidavit earlier this month
- Olson allegedly confiscated the nun's cell phones, which they use to run the business of the monastery, and 'interrogated' Gerlach about her alleged xesual affair with a priest
- The nuns cite canon law and say that the local bishop has no authority over the Order of Carmelite Nuns, which maintains the convent (above) on a secluded and spacious property
- Bishop Olson is based out of St. Patrick Cathedral in downtown Fort Worth, seen above
The suit notes that the devices were used to run the business of the monastery, and without them the nuns are unable to pay bills or operate financially.
Olson then spent two hours 'interrogating' Sister Francis Therese, who is Gerlach's caregiver and has been at the convent for 46 years, according to the suit.
The suit alleges that Olson returned the following day, April 25, and grilled other Sisters for hours, and demanded to interrogate Gerlach as well when she returned from a surgical procedure.
'Although I was in significant pain, under the influence of medications and feeling very weak I felt compelled to immediately acquiesce and was subjected to more interrogation,' said Gerlach. 'The Bishop knew I had just come back from the hospital and had a surgical procedure.'
The Mother Superior says that the nuns then retained legal counsel, and told the bishop that the others Sisters would only consent to questioning if they were informed of the purpose and scope of the interviews.
'The Bishop threw a temper tantrum, and in an agitated and raised voice yelled that the Monastery was shut down, no Mass would be celebrated, he then slammed the door and left the Monastery, traumatizing the Sisters,' Gerlach said in her affidavit.
- In response to the suit, the Diocese of Fort Worth issued a statement reporting allegations that Gerlach had 'violated her vow of chastity with a priest'
'They don't leave the monastery unless they seek medical care. They do prayer seven times a day. Most of the time it's in silence … It's a very private, cloistered, serene environment with very little interaction with the outside world,' the attorney said.
'Even when parishioners attend mass, the nuns are separated from the parishioners,' noted Bobo. 'And so to have, for the first time ever, a bishop come in and start issuing mandates and start ordering them to do things and threatening to interdict their monastery, threatening to kick them out of the order, it is extremely traumatizing and emotionally damaging to them.'
In a statement, the diocese said that despite Olson's alleged threats, priests were continuing to offer Mass for the sisters at the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity on Sundays.
'Please pray for the sisters at the Monastery,' the statement added.
Source:https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...r-Superior-sues-Texas-bishop-1M.html#comments
