Elderly Nuns Edge Closer to Convent Stay as Vatican Plans Rome Audience
Three Austrian nuns in their eighties, who famously escaped a care home to return to their convent, are reportedly a step closer to being allowed to stay permanently, with sources indicating that plans for a visit to Rome signal a favourable outcome from the Vatican.
Break-In and Global Attention
Sisters Bernadette, Regina, and Rita, aged from early to late eighties, broke into their convent home in Elsbethen, near Salzburg, last September with assistance from former pupils and supporters. This act turned their case into a cause célèbre, drawing international attention and highlighting their desire to live out their days in the convent where they spent most of their lives.
Vatican Decision Pending
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), the Vatican department overseeing religious discipline, has not yet issued an official ruling on the nuns' fate, a process that could take months. However, arrangements to bring the sisters to Rome are viewed as a positive development, suggesting the Vatican may be leaning towards allowing them to remain in their convent.
An aide close to the nuns told Austrian media that the Vatican is "in principle" in favour of granting them the right to stay, though an official decision remains outstanding.
Conflict with Superior and Health Concerns
The nuns have been embroiled in a dispute with their superior, Provost Markus Grasl from Reichersberg Abbey, who accused them of violating their "vow of obedience" by leaving the care home they were moved to in 2023. Grasl argued that the convent, located in Schloss Goldenstein, is unsuitable due to steep stone stairs and other hazards for their age.
In response, the sisters assert they were sent to the care home against their will and wish to die at their convent, citing the church law of stabilitas loci, which emphasises permanence in holy orders. Local supporters have provided round-the-clock care and security, including refitting locks and reinstalling a stair lift.
Rome Visit and Papal Involvement
Thanks to an anonymous donation, the nuns are scheduled to travel to Rome within the next two months, accompanied by medical staff, and are expected to have an audience with Pope Leo XIV, a fellow Augustinian. A spokesperson for the nuns expressed their joy, noting it will be their first visit to Rome.
Andreas Englisch, a German Vatican-watcher, suggested in his podcast that the nuns could expect a private audience with the Pope, indicating high-level interest in their case.
Social Media Campaign and Vatican Request
The nuns built a significant following on Instagram and Facebook by sharing clips of their daily lives to demonstrate their fitness to stay in the convent. However, they reduced their social media activity at the end of last year after agreeing with the Vatican that this might improve their chances of remaining.
This move followed a letter they sent to the Vatican complaining about their treatment by Grasl and the Reichersberg foundation, which co-owns the convent with the Salzburg archdiocese. In response, the DDF assured them it is working on a "just, humane, and sustainable solution" and asked for "inner peace and reflection."
The nuns have thanked the public for support, stating that without media attention, they would have been "helplessly exposed to the ruthlessness and arbitrariness of our superior."
