Following the sudden cancellation of an April 30 court hearing between the Arlington Carmelite nuns and Fort Worth Catholic Bishop Michael Olson, lawyers representing the diocese told the Fort Worth Report that the nuns withdrew their request for a temporary restraining order without explanation.
Michael Anderson, an attorney representing Olson and the diocese in civil matters, said the opposing side withdrew its claims before the hearing, which was scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday. Matthew Bobo, an attorney representing the nuns on civil matters, declined to comment.
A group of sisters from the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in south Arlington filed for a temporary restraining order on April 22 against Bishop Michael Olson and the Association of Christ the King.
The Rev. Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach, Sister Francis Therese and Sister Joseph Marie are seeking the order to prevent Olson and the association from entering the monastery or having any authority over its operation.
The move came days after the Vatican issued a placing the governance of the nuns under the authority of the Association of Christ the King, and making its president the monastery鈥檚 superior. The nuns issued a opposing the new leadership, equating the change of leadership to a 鈥�.鈥�
Anderson responded to the restraining order Monday, denying all allegations that Olson 鈥渁ttempted to take over 鈥榝ull governing powers鈥欌�� from the nuns or 鈥渢ake over management and assets鈥� of their monastery. He asked Tarrant County District Judge Don Cosby to throw out the suit, arguing that the court does not have jurisdiction over the matter.
As of 6 p.m. April 30, paperwork reflecting the nuns鈥� request to withdraw was not accessible on a database maintained by the Tarrant County District Clerk鈥檚 office.
A yearlong battle resurfacing
The temporary restraining order follows a yearlong legal and ecclesiastical battle between the nuns and the bishop. In April 2023, OIson over allegations of Gerlach violating her chastity vow with a priest. In response, Gerlach filed a Olson and the diocese, alleging Olson invaded the nuns鈥� privacy.
A Tarrant County judge dismissed the nuns鈥� lawsuit last June, siding with the bishop in determining that the issue is a church matter and cannot be decided by the court. The nuns the judge鈥檚 decision in July, but later decided against doing so after the Vatican told the monastery that they would not act on the canonical investigation until civil litigation was concluded.
By August, the monastery released a saying the sisters no longer recognize Olson鈥檚 authority as bishop and forbid him from entering the property. Olson the decision could cause Gerlach to from the church.
Earlier this month, the Vatican named Mother Marie of the Incarnation, president of the Association of Christ the King, as the 鈥渓awful superior,鈥� who would 鈥渆xercise full governance鈥� over the monastery and nuns, according to the . An election of new internal leadership for the monastery would be overseen by Olson, Olson said in an April 18 .
Legal, religious complexities
Matthew Wilson is a professor at Southern Methodist University who specializes in politics and religion. He said civil courts have been reluctant to weigh in on the dispute because of previous rulings over the conflict being an ecclesiastical matter rather than a legal one.
Questions over who has ownership of access to the physical facilities could be disputed in civil court, Wilson said. However, the more difficult issue at hand, Wilson said, is how the dispute will impact the nuns鈥� relationship with the diocese and the Vatican.
Wilson said the nuns鈥� response to the decree places the sisters 鈥渋n a much more different situation鈥� both ecclesiastically and within the court of public opinion.
鈥淚n civil court, they can theoretically win the right to be a group of women who own a piece of property,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淲hat they cannot win in civil court is the right to continue to be Catholic, and that is where I think the real rub is in this situation.鈥�
The Arlington nuns wrote in an that they are waiting on a response from the Vatican regarding their concerns over Olson鈥檚 actions.
Whether the disputes continue in the court of civil law, the canonical saga will continue, Wilson said.
鈥淣o matter what the civil court rules, it doesn鈥檛 help them ecclesiastically,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I think that鈥檚 their biggest problem.鈥�
