Katy Perry Cleared To Buy Catholic Convent, Next Stop: Vatican Approval
Katy Perry is one step closer to buying her dream convent. A Los Angeles Superior Court judged ruled that the sale of a former Catholic convent was void to wealthy businesswoman Dana Hollister, which now paves the way for Perry, who has long been eyeing the property, to buy it.
Katy Perry’s efforts to purchase the convent property were previously blocked by a group of elderly nuns, according to Billboard. But Judge Stephanie Bowick ruled that the nuns used improper attempts to sell the property to the businesswoman and did not receive Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez’s authorization before turning it over to her.
Katy Perry seeks to purchase the Roman villa-style convent, which sits on eight acres in the Los Feliz neighborhood, for $14.5 million. Katy also wants to relocate an adjoining house of prayer used by priests. Katy’s bid for the hilltop property has already been approved by the archbishop of Los Angeles, but it will still have to be approved by the Vatican.
Judge's Ruling Clears The Way For Katy Perry To Buy Los Feliz Convent https://t.co/8F540BSmly pic.twitter.com/CPig9Tcdcq
— LAist (@LAist) April 14, 2016
Katy Perry’s previous attempts to buy the convent were blocked when members of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary instead attempted to sell the property to Hollister. The businesswoman had big plans to turn the convent into a boutique hotel and had already begun renovations on it before the archdiocese brought a lawsuit against her. Now Judge Bowick has ruled that the nuns did not receive the archbishop’s permission before making an agreement with Hollister, so the sale is void, and the deed has been canceled.
Bowick ruled that Los Angeles’ archbishop has to first authorize any sale, and the nuns did not receive his permission before entering into an agreement with Hollister last year. The archbishop previously suggested that the nuns meet with Katy Perry regarding the sale of the convent, but the group of elderly sisters were not happy with Perry’s sexy image in her music videos. While they have stated that their opposition to selling the property to Perry has nothing to do with her racy image, the nuns have stated in a letter to the archdiocese that the sale of the convent property to the “Roar” singer would go against their sacred vows, according to CNBC.
“In selling to Katy Perry, we feel we are being forced to violate our canonical vows to the Catholic Church.”
Katy Perry eventually met the nuns for a face to face meeting. According to the Los Angeles Times, Perry dressed conservatively and even sang “Oh Happy Day” for the sisters. Katy also showed the nuns a “Jesus” tattoo on her wrist area and reportedly told the nuns she wanted her mother and grandmother to live on the property with her. According to the Times, Katy also talked about sitting in the meditation garden, where she would sip green tea and “find herself.”
The nuns said their objection to selling the property to Katy Perry had nothing to do with her performance style. Instead, the group reportedly favored the Hollister deal because it would allow the convent to be kept open to the public.
The Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary have owned the now-vacant convent property for more than 40 years, after it was bestowed to the order by a devout Catholic parishioner who wanted the group of nuns to keep him in their prayers. The five remaining sisters have been known to butt heads with the archbishop on many issues, not just the Katy Perry convent.
Take a look at the video below for more on the Katy Perry convent sale.
[Photo By Jesse Grant/Getty Images]
