Nuns who broke back into their Austrian convent ‘are step closer to being able to stay’

Three nuns who escaped from a care home to return to their convent in a castle close to Salzburg where they had spent most of their lives are a step closer to being able to stay there, sources close to them say.Sisters Bernadette, Regina and Rita, who are in their early to late eighties, broke into their convent home in Elsbethen last September with the help of former pupils of the Catholic school at which they had taught and other supporters. Their case became a cause célèbre, attracting attention from around the world.The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), a Vatican department in charge of religious discipline in the Catholic church, has yet to officially decide on the women’s fate and could still take months to do so. However, plans to bring them to Rome are thought to be a positive sign in the nuns’ favour, bringing the row about their future closer to a resolution.An aide close to the nuns told Austrian media that the Vatican was “in principle” in favour of giving the sisters the right to remain in their convent. However, its official ruling is still outstanding.Schloss Goldenstein in Elsbethen, Salzburg. The trio say they were sent to the care home against their will and wish to die at their convent. Photograph: Helena Lea Manhartsberger/Panos/The GuardianThe sisters have been fighting a campaign by their superior, who accused them of breaking the “vow of obedience” they made when they were ordained by leaving the care home into which they were moved in 2023. Provost Markus Grasl, from the nearby Reichersberg Abbey, had said that the convent was no longer suitable for the nuns owing to several flights of stone stairs and other conditions “too precarious” for their advancing ages.The trio say they were sent to the care home against their will and they wish to die at their convent, housed in the imposing Schloss Goldenstein, citing the church law of stabilitas loci: the vow of permanence a person entering a holy order is expected to make in return for the commitment towards them from the church.Local helpers have provided them with round the clock care and security, including refitting locks that had been changed in their absence and reinstalling a stair lift that had been removed.The nuns have been helped by local people who have provided round the clock care and security, including refitting locks that had been changed in their absence. Photograph: Helena Lea Manhartsberger/Panos/The GuardianThe nuns, who are of the Augustinian order, had appealed to Pope Leo XIV, a fellow Augustinian, to intervene on their behalf.To what extent he has involved himself in their case is unclear. But church insiders say he has been made aware of their plight.Thanks to a donation said to have been made by a private individual or a group of persons who wish to remain anonymous, the nuns are due to travel to Rome within the next two months, accompanied by medical staff, and are expected to have an audience with the pontiff.A spokesperson for them told the Austrian broadcaster ORF: “The three nuns are very happy to be able to travel to Rome. They have never been there before and the journey will be something quite special for them.”Andreas Englisch, a prominent German Vatican-watcher, said in his weekly podcast Vatikangeflüster (Vatican Whispering) that a “generous” donor or donors based in Rome had contacted him directly, but he did not know, or would not divulge, their identity.He said he believed the nuns could expect a private audience with Pope Leo. “I am sure that he will want to receive them,” he said.Sister Rita at the cemetery next to the village church. The nuns built up a considerable following on social media. Photograph: Helena Lea Manhartsberger/Panos/The GuardianThe nuns built up a considerable following on Instagram and Facebook, posting clips from their daily lives including proof of their fitness to stay in their convent. The posts had helped keep their situation in the limelight. But they reduced their social media output at the end of last year in agreement with the Vatican on the understanding, it has been reported, that this would help their chances of staying in the convent.The request came in response to a letter the nuns had written to the Vatican in which they had complained of their treatment by Grasl and the Reichersberg foundation, which part owns the convent building with the archdiocese of Salzburg.Through aides, they told Austrian media they had received an answer in which they were informed that the Dicastery was “working to find a just, humane, and sustainable solution” to end the row. In return they were asked to “seek inner peace and reflection in the spirit of seclusion”.The nuns thanked the public for their sympathy and support at the time, insisting that without the media attention they would have been “helplessly exposed to the ruthlessness and arbitrariness of our superior”.The Guardian has contacted a spokesperson for the nuns for comment.