How A Naughty Texas Nun Caused An International Incident
News broke recently in Texas of what could be the end of a year-long battle that involves a group of nuns, a former priest, an angry bishop, and the Vatican. Earlier this week, this fight culminated in a monastery being deemed "extinct". It all started with allegations of an online relationship.
How An Online Relationship Resulted In An International Incident
The allegations were against Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach. In 2023, she was accused of having an online love affair with a former priest out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Supposedly, the two had some racy correspondence via email and video chat. Her accuser, Bishop Michael Olsen of Fort Worth, believed the act was her breaking her chastity vows. If you're unfamiliar with chastity vows, they're taken very seriously. A chastity vow is when someone vows to not engage in any sexual activity, and possibly not even marry.
The allegations resulted in several legal battles between the nuns and the diocese. Earlier this year, the Vatican even got involved. The nuns accused the bishop's response had been over the top when he allegedly took laptops and phones and interrogated the nuns for hours. The bishop accused the nuns of inciting hatred toward the diocese and himself.
The End Result Of A Year-Long War
The Vatican has issued a statement saying that the monastery is considered "extinct". The nuns have been relieved of their "religious duties". They weren't excommunicated, and the monastery still stands. This might seem like the end of it all, but it isn't. The nuns joined a breakaway group called the Society of St. Pious X. The monastery was supposedly transferred to a non-profit organization this year.
What happens next is anyone's guess. For now, it seems that the nuns are going to keep doing what they've always done. There's no word on the relationship status of Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach and the former priest in Raleigh. Bishop Olsen still has other battles ahead as his other critics continue in their quest to have him removed from his position over a laundry list of grievances. They even have a website
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