Katy Perry wants to buy a Convent, Archbishop - Aye, Nuns - Nay

 Elderly nuns have stepped up a fight to stop pop star Katy Perry buying their convent, telling a court that the proposed sale would "violate our canonical vows to the Catholic Church".

Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, 86, and Sister Rita Callanan, 77, of the Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also accused the Archbishop of Los Angeles, who wants to push through the sale, of carrying out a "hostile takeover".

It was the latest salvo in a bitter legal battle over the future of Waverly, the order's home located on hilltop with stunning views over Hollywood.

Last year a buyer called Katherine Hudson offered $14.5 million for the eight-acre estate.

The nuns used the internet to discover this was the real name of Miss Perry, the multi-millionaire singer of hits including I Kissed A Girl and Teenage Dream.

The performer's penchant for skimpy stage outfits did not sit well with the owners "for what should be obvious reasons coming from Catholic nuns", according to the court filings by Sister Catherine Rose and Sister Rita.

Instead, they quickly sold the property to Dana Hollister, a local restaurateur, for a higher price of $15.5 million. Miss Perry's bid, however, was a cash offer.

Jose Gomez, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, then weighed in saying the nuns had no authority to make a sale as they were under the ultimate authority of the church.

On June 19 the archbishop sued Miss Hollister to prevent the sale and to remove her from the property.
Documents now submitted by the nuns have revealed the full schismatic bitterness of their fallout with the archdiocese over the affair.

They accused Archbishop Gomez of acting as if he were "above the rules and immune from the obligations of civil law".