Pop superstar Katy Perry is currently embroiled in a legal battle between a Los Angeles Archbishop, who's trying to sell a Catholic convent, and two nuns who are refusing to sell their former home to the controversial singer.
The LA Times reports that Perry is prepared to pay Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez $14.5 million for the former Catholic convent in the the Los Feliz neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles that she wants to turn into her home. However, Perry's plans to "sit in the meditation garden, sip green tea, and find herself" aren't sitting well with the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who already struck a $15.5 million deal with restaurateur Dana Hollister and have little affection for the popstar.
The 52 Immaculate Heart sisters once lived on the property that Perry has reportedly been eyeing for three years, Sister Catherine Rose told the Times, and were moved from the property "against their will" in 2011. The nuns said that several decades ago, they gathered their money collectively to purchase the property at a discounted rate from a benefactor. If the diocese completes the sale with Perry, however, the sisters said they fear they will not see any of the money which is needed to cover their living expenses.
According to the Times, the sisters said they previously spoke with Gomez, who agreed they could choose who would purchase the property, but they could not get ahold of him once they decided to conduct the sale with Hollister.
Conversely, the attorney for Gomez, Attorney Michael Hennigan, told the newspaper that three of the five elderly sisters who lived in the convent signed a declaration to support Gomez selling the property. Now, the diocese is suing Hollister, and Perry has been granted a court order to visit the former convent with her architect.
The sisters said that in May, Perry visited them at their home and made a "fairly good impression." During her visit, Perry was reportedly "dressed modestly," showed the sisters her Jesus tattoo, and sang "Oh Happy Day."
However, after Googling the "Hear Me Roar" singer, the nuns were less than impressed by Perry's promiscuous music videos and Super Bowl performance last February.
"Well, I found Katy Perry and I found her videos and ... if it's all right to say, I wasn't happy with any of it," Sister Rita told the Times. She added that she would "rather not elaborate on her concerns as to whether Perry is a suitable candidate to live in a convent."
Newsbusters notes that Sister Rita was briefly heard objecting to one of Perry's litany of highly sexualized hit songs: "I was particularly concerned about the video 'The Dark Horse.'"
As previously reported by the Gospel Herald, Perry, formerly known as Katy Hudson, was raised by Christian ministers and started her career as a Gospel singer. However, when Perry did not find success as a Christian artist, she branched out to secular music and quickly topped charts with hits such as "I Kissed a Girl" and "Teenage Dream."
Subsequently, Perry turned away from her religious views. "I don't believe in a heaven or a hell or an old man sitting on a throne," said Perry in an issue of Marie Claire. "I believe in a higher power bigger than me because that keeps me accountable."
Although she hopes to purchase a convent as her future home, Perry claims that she is not a Christian and no longer believes in God."I believe in a lot of astrology," she told Marie Claire. "I believe in aliens. . . . I look up into the stars and I imagine: How self-important are we to think that we are the only life-form?"
She added, "I'm not Buddhist, I'm not Hindu, I'm not Christian, but I still feel like I have a deep connection with God. I pray all the time - for self-control, for humility. There's a lot of gratitude in it. Just saying 'thank you' sometimes is better than asking for things."
