Arlington nuns end pursuit of civil litigation against Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson
ARLINGTON (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Nuns at an Arlington monastery are putting their faith in an internal church legal process and ending their pursuit of civil litigation against the Catholic Bishop of Fort Worth.
The Carmelite nuns will not appeal the decision made last month by a civil court judge, who determined the court did not have jurisdiction to hear their complaints of invasion of privacy and defamation by Bishop Michael Olson.
The nuns had originally planned to appeal that order, but earlier this month received a letter from a Vatican office stating that the internal appeal of Olson's actions would not proceed until the civil litigation was dropped.
Believing they have a strong case to be exonerated through the church process, the nuns decided to end the civil process, according to Fort Worth attorney Matthew Bobo.
Bobo has been representing the Carmelite nuns since the dispute began in late April.
In a statement Monday, the Fort Worth Diocese called the decision "appropriate," further saying it "supports our long-held belief that this mater never should have been filed in a civil court."
The decision will not change the status of the monastery, which has been closed to parishioners who used to attend daily Mass there. That closure will remain in effect during the canonical appeal, the Diocese statement said, and will be reviewed when the process is finished.
Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach took the unusual step of going outside the church for help after Olson began an investigation into her statements she had broken a vow of chastity with a priest. Gerlach was subsequently removed from her position.
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