Three elderly nuns who broke into their former convent after fleeing a Catholic Church-run care home may remain there, but only if they give up social media, cease contact with the press and dismiss their lawyers. Church authorities have laid out the conditions in a written proposal.
Sister Bernadette, 88, Sister Regina, 86, and Sister Rita, 82, have refused to sign the agreement, Agence France-Presse reports. On Friday, Church officials said the nuns would be allowed to remain in the convent "until further notice," provided they accept a list of conditions set by their superior, Provost Markus Grasl.
The proposal reportedly requires the nuns to immediately cease all social media and media contact, terminate any legal representation, and limit access to the convent's enclosed areas to members of their order.
The sisters returned to the Kloster Goldenstein convent in Elsbethen, near Salzburg, in September, with the help of supporters and a locksmith, months after denominational authorities relocated them to a Catholic care facility, citing concerns about their health. The nuns said they had been taken there against their will and felt isolated and unhappy.
Their return to the convent triggered a months-long standoff with the Church, which accused the sisters of defying orders and violating their vows of obedience.
Grasl, their superior from Reichersberg Abbey, had repeatedly urged them to return to the care home, describing their decision as "completely incomprehensible," as quoted by the BBC.
The Goldenstein sisters have built a substantial online following in recent months, with nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram and thousands more on Facebook.
Videos show them in prayer, eating lunch, and engaging in activities such as Sister Rita's boxing-glove workouts. Supporters have been visiting the convent, bringing supplies and helping with electricity and internet access.
Supporters of the sisters have also rejected the proposal, calling it a one-sided deal that wasn't discussed with the nuns or their aides.
In a press release issued late Friday, they called the plan another attempt by Church authorities to "bamboozle" the nuns.
A separate statement issued in the nuns' name said they were open to an agreement in principle but found the current offer unacceptable, saying it has the "character of a gagging contract."
Christina Wirtenberger, the sisters' spokesperson, said the nuns decided not to sign the agreement due to legal concerns.
Their supporters maintain that the conditions, particularly the demand to shut down social media and cut legal ties, had "no legal basis and ... would deprive the sisters of their only remaining protection from the interested public," according to the BBC.
Under the terms, officials would provide medical and spiritual care at the convent. However, if the nuns' health declines to a point where appropriate care is no longer possible on site, they would be required to return to a nearby care home.
The three nuns have lived at Goldenstein for decades.
Sister Bernadette arrived at the convent as a teenager in 1948 and studied alongside Romy Schneider, who later became a major film star. Sister Regina arrived in 1958, followed by Sister Rita in 1962. All three served as teachers at the convent's private girls' school, with Sister Regina later becoming headmistress.
As the number of nuns declined, the Archdiocese of Salzburg and Reichersberg Abbey took control of the property in 2022. The religious community was officially dissolved at the start of 2024, though the remaining nuns were granted a lifelong right to stay as long as their health and mental capacity permitted.
Their eviction in December 2023 led to widespread backlash.
Grasl has since reimbursed the government for roughly 64,000 euros ($74,000) in welfare benefits he had received for the nuns while they were living in the care home, according to AFP.
The Austrian Conference of Religious Orders has backed Grasl's position, saying the convent's condition makes it unfit for habitation. However, the sisters said they do not view themselves as squatters or intruders but as rightful residents reclaiming their home.
