A Texas judge has dismissed a Catholic nun’s $1 million defamation lawsuit against the bishop who accused her of sexting a priest, ruling the court lack jurisdiction in the dispute.

Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach and the Discalced Carmelites filed a lawsuit against Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson, who expelled her from the order after he accused her of breaking her vow of chastity to a priest.

The priest was identified this week as Father Philip G. Johnson of the Diocese of Raleigh, a Navy veteran and brain cancer survivor who was the first to contact Gerlach and asked for prayers from her nuns.

In a Friday ruling, Judge Don Cosby of the 67th Circuit Court for Tarrant County said the nuns’ lawsuit was “dismissed for lack of subject matter” after the bishop argued the bitter dispute was a purely religious matter.

Just hours after the verdict, Arlington police told that they had also dropped their criminal investigation into claims related to the civil case, after finding no charges were warranted.

Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach (second from right) and her Carmelite Sisters sued the Bishop of Fort Worth for defamation after he accused her of breaking her vow of chastity

Bishop Olson’s allegations centered on Gerlcah’s telephone and email communications with Father Philip G. Johnson (above) of the Diocese of Raleigh, a Navy veteran and brain tumor survivor

In a statement to , Gerlach’s attorney, Matthew Bobo, criticized Cosby’s ruling and vowed to appeal.

“We are shocked, extremely disappointed and respectfully disagree with Judge Cosby’s decision,” said Bobo, who represents Gerlach and the other Carmelite nuns at Holy Trinity Convent in Arlington.

Bobo argued that the court decision signaled that “a Catholic bishop can publicly defame a Catholic to the media multiple times, and Catholic priests can freely disclose the alleged sins of Catholics around the world, without Vatican or civil justice repercussions.” .’

For his part, Olson said he was “grateful” for the court ruling dismissing the case.

“The decision confirms our firm belief that this is a private matter of the church that does not belong in court,” the bishop said in a statement to .

“This matter continues to be dealt with under an established canonical process.” “Bishop Olson once again asks the faithful for their continued prayers for the diocese, Mother Teresa Agnes and all the nuns at the monastery,” he added.

In their lawsuit against Olson and the diocese, the nuns allege that the bishop barged into their convent in April, confiscating phones and interrogating nuns while he continued his investigation

Meanwhile, Arlington Police said their criminal investigation into what happened at the monastery “is now considered closed”.

Police in the Texas city opened the investigation in response to a complaint from the nuns’ attorney and a counterclaim from Olson over alleged marijuana use at the convent.

Bishop Olson, seen in court this week, said he was “grateful” for a judge’s decision to dismiss the case against him and called the dispute a “private matter of the Church”.

Gerlach, 43, has severe chronic health conditions that require her to use a wheelchair and a feeding tube with 24-hour care from a nun

Johnson is currently assigned to the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina, which confirmed in a statement that his priestly powers will be limited while the matter is investigated

“Arlington Police have completed their investigation into allegations regarding the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity here in our city,” police told .

“The purpose of this investigation was to gather information and determine whether any criminal offenses were committed in connection with the ongoing civil proceeding between the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth and the Discalced Carmelite nuns residing at the convent.”

“Following a thorough and comprehensive review by APD investigators, and in consultation with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, we have determined that there is no probable cause to pursue criminal charges against any of the individuals involved.” completed,” the statement continued.

The developments follow months of wild controversy in the saga, in which Olson accused Gerlach of “sexting” with a priest before banishing her from the Carmelite order, which she joined just after graduating high school 25 years ago.

The controversy has bitterly divided Fort Worth’s Catholic community, and Carmelite supporters have launched a petition for Bishop Olson’s removal for abuse of power, which has garnered more than 500 signatures.

Gerlach, 43, has serious chronic health conditions that sometimes require the use of a wheelchair. She also uses a feeding tube and has 24-hour care from a fellow nurse, her lawyer previously told .

On June 1, Bishop Olson (above) exiled Gerlach from their order, the Discalced Carmelites, a day after he received special powers from the Vatican to continue his investigation

Olson released in court a recording of his April 24 interview with Gerlach at Holy Trinity Monastery (above), the monastery she led in Arlington

In an audio recording played in court this week, she appeared to admit falling in love with a priest over long distance – but she staunchly denies violating her vow of chastity under church law.

Priest Johnson was only identified this week, and Olson said he refused to cooperate in the investigation into the Diocese of Fort Worth’s sexting allegations.

On June 1, Olson banished Gerlach from her order, the Discalced Carmelites, a day after he received special powers from the Vatican to continue his investigation.

Olson said at the time he found the nun guilty of “violating the sixth commandment of the Decalogue and her vow of chastity to a priest outside of the Diocese of Fort Worth,” but did not identify the priest.

In the Catholic Church, the sixth commandment is “Thou shalt not commit adultery” and prohibits sex outside of marriage. Catholic priests and nuns are forbidden to marry and take vows of celibate chastity.

There is no direct evidence of the sexting in court, rather the diocese has produced testimonies and records documenting Gerlach’s confessions that she fell in love with a priest via long-distance communication.

Priest Johnson is currently assigned to the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina, which confirmed in a statement to that his priestly powers will be curtailed while the matter is investigated.

He did not respond to multiple interview requests from this week.

• By Gordon Corera
• Security Correspondent, BBC News

1 hour ago

Image source: Getty Images

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William J. Burns said the failure of the Ukraine war risks undermining Vladimir Putin’s leadership in Russia

The Ukraine war is having a “destructive” effect on Vladimir Putin’s leadership in Russia, according to the head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Russia’s dissatisfaction with the war is providing the CIA with new intelligence-gathering opportunities, said the agency’s director, William J. Burns.

America’s top spy spoke during his annual presentation at the Ditchley Foundation in the UK.

He spoke a week after the mutiny by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Mr Burns said everyone was “captivated” by the scenes last Saturday, when Prigozhin “armedly” challenged Moscow as his Wagnerian mercenary troops marched towards the Russian capital.

Prigozhin’s actions are “a vivid reminder of the corrosive effect of Putin’s war on his own society and regime,” he said.

The CIA director said the repercussions not only of Prigozhin’s actions but also of his statements – which included an indictment of both the motivations and the conduct of the Russian invasion – would linger for some time.

“Dissatisfaction with the war will continue to gnaw at the Russian leadership,” Mr Burns said in his prepared remarks.

“This dissatisfaction creates a unique opportunity for us at the CIA,” referring to the agency’s role in recruiting human agents to provide intelligence.

“We’re not going to let it go to waste,” he said to laughter from the audience. “We are very open to business.”

The CIA recently launched a new social media campaign to reach out to people in Russia, including a video posted to the social media site Telegram, which is widely shared by Russians. The campaign provided instructions on how to contact the CIA on the dark web without being monitored.

This video was viewed 2.5 million times in the first week.

Director Burns also reiterated the message, previously made public by other US officials, that the US was not involved in Prigozhin’s mutiny.

He did not directly address recent Washington Post reports that he had paid a secret visit to the Ukrainian capital before the mutiny.

It was reported that the talks also discussed the possibility that progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive could pave the way for negotiations from a stronger position if significant territory were seized.

Mr Burns – who previously served as US ambassador to Russia from 2005 to 2008 – said he has spent much of the past two decades understanding Russian President Putin, instilling in him a “healthy dose of humility when talking about Putin and… Russia” awarded.

But he added that he had learned that underestimating Mr Putin’s fixation on controlling Ukraine is always a mistake.

The Russian leader believed that Russia could not be a great power without Ukraine and that Mr Putin himself could not be a great leader, he said.

“This tragic and brutal fixation has already shamed Russia and exposed its weaknesses,” Burns said.

“Putin’s war was already a strategic failure for Russia: its military weaknesses were exposed, its economy was badly damaged for years to come, its future as China’s junior partner and economic colony was shaped by Putin’s mistakes.”

Referring to China, the CIA chief said that because of the deep economic interdependence between the two countries, it would be foolish for the US to try to decouple.

“China is the only country that both intends to transform the international order and increasingly has the economic, diplomatic, military and technological might to do so,” he said.

Instead, the US should “de-risk and diversify meaningfully by securing resilient supply chains, protecting our technological edge and investing in industrial capacity,” he added.

With our correspondent in New York, Carrie Nooten

The visit came at a crucial moment, amid a counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces in the east and south of the country. The US intelligence chief reviewed Kiev’s plans and also urged that negotiations with Moscow begin by the end of the year.

CIA director William Burns is a regular visitor to Kiev, having been there regularly since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Washington shares confidential information with Kiev and strongly supports Ukrainian forces in their defense against Russian soldiers. Their aim is for Ukraine to regain control of the counter-offensive that has been difficult in recent weeks, in order to be able to negotiate a way out of the conflict.

And William Burns just traveled to Ukraine to go over the different scenarios and strategies. This is not the CIA director’s first visit to Kiev. But this should remain secret. However, since this occurred just days before the Wagner leader’s armed uprising, Washington must have felt it important to show its cards to prove to Moscow that the United States had nothing to do with the uprising mutiny of Prigozhin performed on June 24th. William Burns even called his Russian counterpart this week to convince him personally.

Ukrainian Army Commander-in-Chief Valery Zalouzhny said in an interview published by The Washington Post on Friday that the lack of armament, particularly fighter jets, limited Ukraine’s counteroffensive. And on Tuesday, the United States announced $500 million in new aid to support the counteroffensive, including air defense ammunition and armored vehicles.

Also readIs Vladimir Putin in danger after the failed uprising of Prigoyine?

(and with AFP)