Priest involved in Arlington nun saga has retired for medical reasons, diocese announces
The priest at the center of the chastity vow scandal involving an Arlington nun has retired for medical reasons, according to a statement from the Diocese of Raleigh.
“Reverend Philip G. Johnson, a priest in good standing of the Diocese of Raleigh, requests and is granted retirement for medical reasons with full faculties to exercise priestly ministry as his health permits,” the statement from the North Carolina diocese reads.
Johnson’s retirement was effective on July 31, according to the statement.
Bishop Michael Olson said during a court hearing in 2023 that the Rev. Mother Teresa Gerlach self-reported breaking her chastity vow. In an interview with Olson played during the hearing, Gerlach identified the priest as Johnson.
Gearlach has also said nothing happened between her and the priest and that she was not in her right mind during the interview with Olson because of a recent surgery and the medication she was taking.
The Arlington monastery has maintained that the bishop’s allegations are false and sued Olson and the diocese, alleging theft and defamation. The suit was dismissed in June of last year, with a judge ruling that it was a church matter.
Last week, the nuns refuted a statement from the diocese that alleged they had been dismissed from the faith.
“The Vows we have professed to God cannot be dismissed or taken away,” the statement read. “By virtue of them we belong to Him and are His.”
This story was originally published November 8, 2024 at 6:49 PM.
