ARLINGTON, Texas — An application for a temporary restraining order has been filed against the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, Bishop Michael Olson, and The Association of Christ the King in the United States of America a week after the groups attempted to take control of an Arlington monastery.
The diocese and Olson have been embroiled in a feud with the monastery for more than a year now. Last week, the Vatican issued an order granting control of the monastery to its parent association, Christ the King.
In the application for the restraining order, the nun's attorney, Michael Bobo, accuses the association, the diocese, and Bishop Michael Olson of attempting to unlawfully usurp control of the monastery "under the guise of some religious backdoor."
Michael Anderson, the lawyer for the Diocese of Fort Worth, says this latest suit is "basically a rehash of the lawsuit filed last year." That suit was dismissed in court last summer.
The only new part to this latest lawsuit is that the Arlington Nuns have added the Association as a defendant due to the Holy See’s recent decision to entrust the Arlington Carmel to the Association of their Carmelite Sisters," Anderson said in the statement. "The Arlington Nuns’ decision to file suit on this basis is squarely at odds with an affidavit filed in the first lawsuit, wherein Ms. Gerlach testified that the Arlington Carmel only answers “directly to the Pope.” Apparently this no longer applies since the catalyst for this new lawsuit was a decision by the Holy See."
Regardless, Anderson concluded, the Diocese of Fort Worth will seek to have this new lawsuit dismissed as well at the appropriate time.
The monastery is a nonprofit corporation organized and existing under Texas laws, the document argues and provides that the affairs of the monastery are managed by its board of directors -- who may only be removed by members of the monastery.
"Defendants attempted 'takeover' of the Corporation is unlawful, because, in order for them to have any governing power, they would have to be a member of the Board of Directors, which they are not, nor have the members of the Corporation voted to make the any of the Defendants a member of the Board," the motion argues.
"It is clear that all the actions by the Defendants over the past year are focused on resting control of the Corporation away from the Plaintiffs," the motion continues. "The Defendants are trying to utilize a religious back door to usurp the laws of the State of Texas to take over the management and assets of the Corporation."
The order would restrict Olson, as well as anyone from the diocese or the association, from coming onto the monastery -- except for allowing a priest to offer daily mass and confession. It also forbids them to interfere with the management of the monastery or act on its behalf, or to have any contact with the nuns unless through legal counsel.
The filing also asks for a temporary injunction, a permanent injunction, and declaratory judgment -- declaring from the court that the diocese, Olson and the association don't have authority to access private technology or any corporate accounts of the monastery and its members, and that they cannot manage or govern the monastery. The monastery is also seeking at least $100,000 in monetary relief.
It was just last year that the monastery's head nun, Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach, was accused of violating one of her religious vows, as Olson had testified that she told him she had broken her vow of chastity with a priest from outside the diocese.
The feud spanned several months last year. The nuns filed a civil suit against the Bishop claiming theft, defamation and abuse of power. Their case was dismissed by a district judge on June 30 after the judge ruled the court had no jurisdiction over the matter.
Police launched their own investigations into the monastery and the bishop last June following weeks of civil disputes between Olson and the nuns.
