Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson faces criminal probe after storming into convent

The saga of a Texas bishop who accused a wheelchair-bound prioress of adultery with a priest has taken a new twist, as police confirmed they are investigating the matter for potential criminal offenses.

Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson last week ejected Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach from the Discalced Carmelite Nuns, declaring her guilty of violating her vow of chastity with a priest. 

It came after Gerlach filed a $1 million lawsuit accusing Olson of storming into the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in April, 'interrogating' the nuns over his suspicions, and seizing phones and other devices they use to run the convent in Arlington.

In a statement to DailyMail.com on Wednesday, the Arlington Police Department confirmed that in response to a complaint filed by an attorney, detectives were probing Olson's conduct to 'determine whether any criminal offenses have occurred.'

In response, a spokesman for the bishop fired back, accusing the nuns of using 'marijuana and edibles at the monastery' and saying the diocese had filed its own police complaint.

Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson (center on a recent trip to India) is under criminal investigation after storming into a monastery to confront nuns, police confirmed

Olson last week ejected Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach from the Discalced Carmelite Nuns, declaring her guilty of violating her vow of chastity with a priest

Olson's spokesman Pat Svacina shared two photos with DailyMail.com that he said were from inside the monastery, showing a clutter of containers labeled as edible TCH products, as well as what appear to be a bong and grinders for smoking.

Svacina said the photos 'were provided by a confidential informant within the monastery' and raise 'serious questions that the Bishop is tirelessly working to address.'

The office of Michael Bobo, the attorney representing the nuns, responded in a scathing statement calling the photos a 'mere obfuscation ploy and a juvenile, low-level public relations stunt by the diocese.' 

'The absolutely ridiculous allegations by the diocese including anonymously-sourced photos that could have easily been staged and doctored by anyone, and from anywhere, are without merit,' the statement said. 

Medical marijuana is legal in Texas to treat a range of physical and psychiatric conditions, but Bobo declined to comment on whether any of the nuns have a compassionate use authorization.

Gerlach, the nun Olson ejected from the order, has severe chronic gastrointestinal issues that confine her to a wheelchair and require the use of a feeding tube and daily IV, her attorney has said. 

She strenuously denied the bishop's allegations of committing a sexual sin with a priest, and will continue living in the Arlington convent at least until the June 30 deadline to appeal his decree banishing her from the order. 

Olson's spokesman shared two photos with DailyMail.com that he said were from inside the monastery, showing a clutter of containers labeled as edible TCH products, as well as what appear to be a bong and grinders (center rear) for smoking

Svacina said the photos 'were provided by a confidential informant within the monastery' and raise 'serious questions that the Bishop is tirelessly working to address'

Bobo, the attorney representing the Carmelite nuns, first revealed the police investigation in a media statement on Wednesday night, saying that 'multiple law enforcement agencies are involved' in reviewing Olson's actions, including the Arlington police.

'We are thankful that these law enforcement agencies have decided to undertake this criminal investigation and are confident that the nuns will receive justice under the law of the State of Texas that they deserve,' said Bobo.

'No one—not even a sitting Catholic bishop—is above the law,' he added.

The police investigation is believed to relate to Olson's actions in April, when according to court filings, the bishop repeatedly entered the convent -- which is owned by the nuns -- and confiscated their phones and other devices. 

Arlington police confirmed the criminal investigation, saying in a statement: 'On May 31, the Arlington Police Department received a letter from a local law firm raising allegations about recent actions taken at the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity here in our city.' 

'In response, the department has launched an investigation to determine whether any criminal offenses have occurred, which is standard anytime a criminal complaint is made. Detectives are in the early stages of the investigation,' the department said.

Svacina, the diocese spokesman, fired back, telling DailyMail.com: 'Attorney Bobo's press release is yet another transparent attempt to spread baseless and outrageous accusations regarding Bishop Olson's legitimate investigation of the Carmelite Monastery.' 

'Bishop Olson and the Diocese have taken the approach that this is an internal matter and should not be played out in the press,' he said, calling Bobo's public statements an 'attempt to embarrass Bishop Olson and undermine his authority.' 

'To be perfectly clear, neither the Bishop nor anyone at the Diocese have been involved in any criminal activity regarding the Monastery,' added Svacina, calling the suggestion 'preposterous'.

Gerlach oversaw the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity (above) in Arlington, Texas, which sits on roughly 72 acres owned by the Discalced Carmelite Nuns religious order

The Mother Superior made extraordinary allegations in a sworn affidavit last month, accusing Olson of barging into the convent to interrogate nuns and confiscate phones

Last week, acting on sweeping new powers granted by the Vatican a day earlier, Olson issued a decree ejecting Gerlach from the Carmelite order, in which she has lived for 25 years under vows. 

Olson said that, following an investigation, he found Gerlach 'guilty of having violated the sixth commandment of the Decalogue and her vow of chastity with a priest from outside the Diocese of Fort Worth.' 

In the Catholic Church, the Sixth Commandment is 'Thou shalt not commit adultery' and forbids sex outside of marriage. Catholic priests and nuns are forbidden to marry and take vows of celibate chastity. 

Gerlach's attorney Bobo slammed the bishop's decision as 'absolutely unjust and unconscionable in the light of moral, canonical and natural law.'

'Mother Superior will be appealing this immoral and unjust decision that is not subject to canonical action. In addition, the civil lawsuit will continue full speed ahead,' Bobo added in a statement to DailyMail.com. 

Olson's move to eject Gerlach from the Carmelites came a day after the Vatican issued a degree granting him 'full governing power' over the order of nuns, who typically report directly to the pope.

The May 31 decree was issued by the Catholic Church's Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, which oversees religious orders, including monastics such as monks and nuns. 

It names Olson as 'Pontifical Commissary' to the Carmelites, installing him as the pope's representative in matters relating to the nuns.

Gerlach's ejection from the order comes after Olson repeatedly and publicly shared allegations that she had violated her vow of chastity with a priest, who has never been named by the diocese.

Olson's spokesman has not responded to questions from DailyMail.com regarding the identity of the priest, and whether he faces an investigation or sanctions. 

Olson's move to eject Gerlach from the Carmelites came a day after the Vatican issued a degree granting him 'full governing power' over the order of nuns 

The May 31 decree was issued by the Catholic Church's Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, which oversees religious orders

At the heart of the dispute lies the allegation that Gerlach violated her vow of chastity with a priest, although the specific details of that claim remain shrouded in mystery.

The Diocese of Fort Worth has repeatedly claimed, in public statements and court documents, that Gerlach admitted to violating her vow of chastity.

But Bobo has slammed that assertion as false, saying that the Mother Superior never admitted to such a violation, and that she is not even aware of the specific nature of the allegation she faces.

'The bishop just decided to lob this bombshell out there, and for the life of us, we don't even know what the specifics of the allegation are. But I can absolutely tell you, she's never had sex with a priest,' Bobo told DailyMail.com in a recent phone interview.

In a report on the case, Catholic news outlet The Pillar shed some light on the mystery, citing sources who said the allegation against Gerlach may stem from vague statements she made in December 2022, while she was heavily medicated following a hospital procedure.

A person close to the matter told the outlet that while Gerlach was 'in-and-out of lucidity,' she made tearful, incoherent remarks to the nun who serves as her caregiver and the diocesan vicar general, saying she had committed some sin against the Sixth Commandment.  

'She was crying and upset, but she didn't give any details about any of this, and we didn't really know what she was talking about,' the person said.

'And sometimes she said that it was a violation against chastity which she committed on the phone. So it didn't make a whole lot of sense,' the source added.

The person noted that since Gerlach requires a round-the-clock caregiver for her medical issues, 'the notion that she committed some secret sexual sin with a priest — even on the phone — doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.'

'It is much more likely that this whole thing was a hallucination,' the person said.