Katy Perry, who was a Christian singer before she emerged as one of today's leading pop stars, has won her court battle against a Catholic order of nuns to buy a former hilltop convent from the Los Angeles archdiocese.
According to the LA Times, Perry last year attempted 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.
However, Perry's plans to "sit in the meditation garden, sip green tea, and find herself" on the 8-acre property didn't sit 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 Sisters contend that they, and not Gomez, have the right to sell the convent, which is among the assets of the order's nonprofit institute.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Bowick ruled the nuns' attempt to sell the convent to Hollister void, according to Fox News, even though Hollister had already started renovations on the property.
Perry's attorney Eric Rowen said in a statement Wednesday: "Subject to our receiving the written order, we are very pleased with the judge's description of her ruling this morning, which indicates that we won the real property issues, clearing the way for [Perry] to buy the property."
Fox notes that The Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary have owned the property for more than 40 years, but they haven't lived in the convent for several years. Only five sisters, all of whom are in their 70s and 80s, remain, and their order has disagreed with the archbishop for years on various issues
The sisters now fear that after the diocese completes the sale with Perry, they won't see any financial benefit which they were depending on to cover their living expenses. John Scholnick, an attorney representing two nuns, said he's considering an appeal on behalf of his clients.
As reported by The Gospel Herald in May, Perry visited the nuns 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.'"
Although she hopes to purchase a convent as her future home, Perry, the daughter of two pastors, 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."
