Six Arkansas nuns excommunicated for heresy

Six Catholic nuns have been excommunicated for heresy after refusing to give up membership in a Canadian sect whose founder claims to be possessed by the Virgin Mary, the Diocese of Little Rock announced.

The Rev. J. Gaston Hebert, the diocese administrator, said he
notified the nuns of the decision Tuesday night after they refused to
recant the teachings of the Community of the Lady of All Nations, also
known as the Army of Mary.

The Vatican has declared all members
of the Army of Mary excommunicated. Hebert said the excommunication was
the first in the diocese's 165-year history.

"It is a painfully historic moment for this church," Hebert said