Fort Worth bishop releases video speaking out on bitter dispute with Arlington nuns
ARLINGTON (CBSNewsTexas.com) — A Catholic Bishop defended his investigation into nuns in an Arlington monastery Sunday calling it a delicate church matter, while also going into more detail about what he said were multiple admissions by the Mother Superior of breaking her vow of chastity.
Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson also revealed more details about the priest in the alleged incident, saying he had informed the priest's superiors but that he was unaware of any further investigation into the man.
The comments came in an eight-minute video the Fort Worth Diocese posted to YouTube Sunday evening. They're the first comments beyond written statements and letters from Olson since CBS News Texas first reported the story in May.
After visiting the monastery Monday morning, Fort Worth attorney Matthew Bobo who is representing Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach and the Discalced Carmelite Nuns, said they still have no specific information as to how she broke her vow. He also accused Olson of breaking Catholic doctrine, by publicly discussing anything said in confidence to a priest.
Gerlach, who is in poor health, requiring a feeding tube and full-time care, sued Olson and the Diocese last month, describing his actions as "pure evil" when he cut off mass and confession for the nuns and interrogated them over allegations about her alleged sin.
Olson later found her guilty of the violation, dismissing her from the order, which she is appealing.
In the video Olson says Gerlach first admitted to a vicar, another priest and another nun, Sister Francis Theres, that she had violated her vow, making admissions on four different days.
Olson says the admissions were outside of confession, and that she admitted it a fifth time to him and freely gave him the name of the priest involved.
"She was clear and lucid and had normal use of her physical and mental faculties at that time," Olson said. "Claims to the contrary are false and baseless and untrue."
The lawsuit described the encounter differently, saying Olson forced himself into the community with hours of interrogations, throwing a tantrum when informed the Sisters would only answer more questions when told what the purpose of questioning was.
Olson does not mention in the video any church attorneys being present or available to Gerlach at the time. He also does not explain why he first made the alleged broken vow public in a statement on the Diocese website.
The Diocese has never named the priest allegedly involved but Olson denied covering up any wrongdoing by the man. He says he contacted the priest's immediate superior and Bishop, and asked that he be available for the investigation. Olson says he was told that under the advice of counsel, the priest would not participate, and would not confirm or deny anything happened. He also said the priest is not currently assigned anywhere.
Olson denied that his investigation is because he or the Diocese desire the wooded acreage the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity is located on in South Arlington, or their list of financial donors.
However, Bobo said Monday that in a Diocese of more than a million Catholics, the Bishop appeared to spending an unusual amount of time on the case.
"There's clearly a bigger picture here, and its money," he said. "It's always about money and that's what he's after."
Olson addressed returning the computers and phone he took from the monastery but did not say anything about copying and keeping the data from the devices under an agreement he worked out with a church attorney he assigned to the nuns. He also does not discuss his rejection of their own choices for representation.
Olson did speak about pictures the Diocese sent to media Wednesday of tables covered in what appears to be drug paraphernalia, that he alleged are at the monastery. He says individuals "closely associated with the monastery" came to him with the evidence, and that it was immediately turned over and reported to Arlington police.
Arlington police were not able to say when exactly that evidence was handed over, and a report related to the investigation was not publicly available.
Bobo said police made no mention of drugs when investigators visited the nuns last week. Arlington police said they visited the monastery at the request of a third-party who thought the Bishop's actions were worth looking into.
Bobo on Sunday also began accepting donations directly for the nuns. The action came after Olson sent a letter made public Friday, telling supporters of the nuns they were complicit in their disobedience if they donated to cover costs of their legal fight.
Without specifically responding to that letter, the Ladies Auxiliary for the nuns posted a statement on their Facebook page Monday that read in part, "We exist in order to better serve God in our lives by being in communion with the Discalced Carmelite Nuns."
In a separate email to members, the Auxiliary provided information on where funds to support the nuns could be sent.
In addition to the civil lawsuit in Tarrant County, the nuns have expenses associated with canonical attorneys working on their behalf for the church investigation.
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