Austrian nuns on the run

Three nuns have run away from their Catholic care home in Austria. They've demanded the right to live in their former convent instead.

Sister Bernadette: "We are finally back home and in the convent."

The convent was part of Schloss Goldenstein near Salzburg, which also contains a Catholic school. Sister Bernadette, who's 88, Sister Regina, 86 and Sister Rita, 82, had all been teachers at the school. Former students remembered the nuns' kindness and were keen to help, says Martina Krispler.

Martina Krispler: "There are between 100 and 150 of us who currently support the nuns. We do this because the nuns were always warm, loving, and caring toward us during our school days, and we simply disagree with how the Church is treating them."

In 2022, responsibility for the convent had shifted to the nearby Rachesberg Abbey, which is a monastery. The convent's nuns were told that they could remain there as long as they were no concerns about their health. However, in December 2023, the convent's new superior, Provost Grasl, thought that it was time for the three nuns to enter a Catholic care home. The convent was closed down in 2024.

Life in the care home made the nuns depressed, so they collected their few possessions and ran away. Sister Bernadette believes that it was her choice to make.

Sister Bernadette: "In his eyes, we have broken it (our vows), but not in our eyes, because the contract states that we are allowed to return or have the right to stay here until we die. And we have exercised this right."

The nuns' apartment locks had been changed but their former students called in a locksmith to fix that. The electricity and water had been disconnected too. However, they're finally feeling at home again.

Martina Krispler: "They blossomed from the very first day they were back. Sister Regina was in such bad shape in Karlsberg that she was even given astronaut food to eat. And when I came last week, Sister Regina ate three plates of goulash. So that's a sign that they're doing well and that they're just happy to be back home."

The nuns' story has opened a wider discussion in the Catholic church about how its members should be cared for in their old age. View Less