Vatican Dispute over rebellious nuns - now Rome is to decide
The conflict surrounding three nuns and the convent they occupy in Austria is coming to a head. The elderly nuns recently rejected an offer to stay in Goldenstein for legal reasons. Now the head of the convent, Provost Markus Grasl, wants to have the matter decided by the Vatican, as his spokesman told the German Press Agency.
29.11.2025, 14:33
29.11.2025, 14:34
SDA
The provost will involve the Vatican authority responsible for religious affairs, the spokesman said. Grasl had considered all the wishes of the nuns, who are over 80 years old, but they had categorically rejected the proposal. "What else should be given to them, what else should be made possible?" the spokesman wondered.
Sister Bernadette, Sister Regina and Sister Rita had left a retirement home assigned to them at the beginning of September because they no longer wanted to live there. They gained access to the empty convent in Goldenstein Castle near Salzburg, where they had previously lived for decades and worked in the convent school.
Offer to stay in Goldenstein
The nuns came into conflict with Grasl over the occupation and their international media presence. This week, he sent them a planned agreement to resolve the dispute. In the document, which is available to dpa, he promised, among other things, that they would be able to live in Goldenstein until further notice and that nursing staff, medical care and a priest would be made available to them. In addition, the building would be adapted for the elderly.
According to a statement distributed by a spokeswoman and helper of the nuns, the three nuns rejected the proposal partly because of the conditions imposed by the provost. The document had "the character of a gagging contract", they said.
Conditions: No Instagram, no lawyer for the nuns
For example, the women would have to cease all social media activities. This includes an Instagram channel, which has now been subscribed to around 111,000 times. The nuns, who had also taken legal action against the church, should also refrain from taking any legal action and part ways with their lawyer.
Furthermore, the promise to remain in Goldenstein was only vaguely formulated and "legally worthless", the statement said. Grasl's spokesperson, on the other hand, emphasized that the agreement was binding. However, the matter was "no longer in the hands of the provost".
