ARLINGTON, Texas — Just when it seemed things had quieted between the Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson and the Carmelite nuns of Arlington, the feud has been reignited.
In the latest dispute, Olson has ordered the monastery gates be closed to laity.
"What is the harm in letting the lay faithful come pray?" asked Matthew Bobo, attorney for the nuns.
This is all sparked by a recent post to the Discalced Carmelite Nuns main web page. Bobo said the statement on the webpage was written by the nuns in response to recent actions taken by the Bishop.
"Every action he has taken with regard to us has proven to be devious and deceptive, marked by falsehood and an intent to persecute us, and gravely defamatory of the Mother Prioress. The Bishop's motives in moving against us - and the true goals that animate his public and private warfare against us - are completely extraneous and irreconcilable with the purposes that a true Pastor ought to pursue in the exercise of his sacred Authority," reads the message from the webpage.
Bobo tells WFAA the bishop, following dismissal of a civil suit by a Tarrant County judge, engaged in an "aggressive letter-writing campaign" on how to operate as a monastery. WFAA has been told most all of the communications have been internal. Bobo tells WFAA the Bishop has asked for the full list of the "Ladies Auxiliary" that regularly attend the Carmel for mass and donate to help with expenses.
"[The Bishop] is not welcome on the property. We would take steps to have him removed," said Bobo. "He sent them a letter and said you have to close the gates and you have to have my permission to have anyone come on property. That is a clear violation of Texas law."
Olson, in a statement posted to the diocesan website, writes "[Mother Teresa Agnes] publicly rejected my authority as diocesan bishop and Pontifical Commissary. The Arlington Carmel remains closed to public access until such time as the Arlington Carmel publicly disavows itself of these scandalous and schismatic actions of Mother Teresa Agnes."
In May, the Dicastery, which is a department of the Vatican that addresses specific matters, had appointed Bishop Olson and gave him "full governing powers" over the matter and the monastery.
"That sort of suggests a level of authority that the local Bishop wouldn't typically have," said Tim Gabrielli, Associate Professor in Religious Studies at the University of Dayton.
It is unclear if churchgoers are currently allowed inside the Carmel, however, the gates are open. The question becomes what supersedes: the Bishop's ecclesiastical authority or Texas property laws. Gabrielli tells WFAA the monastery and the nun's primary vow is to their superior, the Bishop, the order, Rome, etc. He says property rights are really a secondary matter.
"There are these various power structures that exist within a particular geographical diocese, the bishop, but then within a religious institute," Gabrielli said.
This feud spans several months dating back to the beginning of the 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. Gerlach is accused of breaking her vow of chastity with a priest. The bishop testified the Reverend Mother admitted to it and has dismissed her. But that's up for appeal to the Vatican.
Olson writes that by rejecting his authority the Reverend Mother and other nuns if complicit may have incurred 'latae sententiae.'
"Which means by the very act of what you've done, you've excommunicated yourself," said Tim Gabrielli.
Bobo tells WFAA the nuns are concerned about the threat of excommunication.
"This is the only life they know," Bobo said.
Bobo says withholding a priest from celebrating mass at the Carmel is a means of spiritual deprivation.
Canon lawyers represent the nuns in the ecclesiastical matter. It is unclear when the church investigation will conclude. Bobo says they are prepared to take legal action if needed.
"This has hurt me as a friend and as the bishop because of the deep wound this has cut in our unity as the Diocese of Fort Worth." Olson wrote in a statement.