Austrian Nuns Who Fled Nursing Home Can Return Home After Dispute

The saga of the elderly Austrian nuns who fled their nursing home and broke into their former convent is capturing the attention of the world. Here is a look at these three ladies and the latest on their adventures.

Catholic Church Allows Renegade Nuns to Return to Convent

The three octogenarian nuns who caused a sensation when they tried to break back into their convent after fleeing a nursing home will be allowed to stay. However, there will be conditions that they need to obey.

It has been a crazy few months in Salzburg, Austria, thanks to three nuns who grabbed headlines for their antics. Several major media outlets have picked up on the story, making the nuns internet famous. The trio has gained at least 100,000 followers on Instagram since the story broke a few months ago.

The story began at the end of 2023. It was at this time that Sister Regina, 86, Sister Rita, 81, and Sister Bernadette, 88, said that they were removed from the Schloss Goldenstein convent and placed in a nursing home against their will. The dispute intensified in August when the sisters lobbed allegations against Provost Markus Grasl and the Archdiocese of Salzburg.

Several former students helped the nuns to initially flee their nursing home in protest. The sisters said that they disliked the nursing home, noting the small rooms and not wanting to eat meals with men. The nuns also said that they felt that their former convent understood their personal needs better. The trio also stated that they had been treated disrespectfully by church officials.

The same group of students then helped the three sisters break back into the convent with the help of a locksmith. The nuns have spent most of their lives living at the Alpine convent and girls' school, expressing their desire to live out their final days in their home. However, the convent was no longer functioning, meaning that the nuns were greeted with no electricity or running water at their former home.

About the Announcement Detailing the Nuns Can Return Home

Three months after the controversy, the local diocese in Salzburg confirmed that Sister Rita, Sister Regina, and Sister Bernadette will be allowed to stay at the convent. However, they have to agree to certain conditions in order to remain.

For example, the nuns will be required to close their social media accounts. They must also agree to lead a more secluded monastic life. The proposal also says that the nuns will be put on a waiting list for a nursing home for when they cannot be cared for properly at the convent.

Provost Grasl confirmed on Friday that the sisters will be provided with medical care around the clock, as well as spiritual guidance. Electricity and water have been partially restored at the convent. The nuns' wide array of supporters is also bringing food and supplies. Many of the visitors are former students of the nuns.

Also on Friday, Grasl released a statement suggesting that the donations received on the nuns' behalf could be given to a mission project.

Although Friday's proposal seems to put an end to the ongoing dispute between the nuns and the church's leaders, the lawyer representing the sisters said that he would advise them not to accept the offer. The attorney said that the conditions are too restrictive.

Since the return to the convent, the social media accounts have gained even more followers. The social media account features the daily routines of the nuns living in the convent, covering everything from their praying rituals and meetings within the community of Salzburg. Some of the highlights of the social media accounts include the nuns' boxing routines, videos of the ladies making candles with students, participating in whistling classes, and more.

Defenders of the sisters praise their defiance and their wanting to live out the rest of their lives on their own terms.

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