The conflict surrounding the ancient Goldenstein convent, near Salzburg (Austria), took a new turn after the refusal of the three octogenarian nuns to accept the proposal presented by the superior of Reichersberg, Markus Grasl. According to the Austrian agency Kathpress, the religious community has decided to formally involve the Vatican as the “next instance” due to the stalemate in the dialogue. The dispute, which began in September with the nuns' escape from a nursing home, thus escalates again on the canonical and institutional level.
Background: An Escape That Unleashed an Ecclesial and Media Conflict
The case originated when Sisters Bernadette (88), Regina (86), and Rita (82) left in September the residence where they had been living since December 2023, after the dissolution of their community. With the help of former students and a locksmith, they managed to reopen the closed convent and reinstall themselves in it, claiming that they had been promised lifelong permission to live there. The Archdiocese of Salzburg and the Reichersberg monastery—owners of the building—considered their return an act of disobedience and an irregular action.
Read also: Austria: three nuns escape and reopen their convent closed by the diocese
The story went viral on social media, where the nuns gained unexpected public attention, especially through Instagram, where they accumulated more than one hundred thousand followers. The support from sympathizers, former students, and volunteers kept the conflict alive for weeks.
Grasl's Proposal: Temporary Stay, Restored Enclosure, and Strict Control
On November 28, Superior Grasl presented an agreement that sought to resolve the situation and allow the sisters to continue residing “until further notice” in Goldenstein. The plan included restoring the enclosure, providing medical care and permanent assistance, assigning a priest for their spiritual accompaniment, and planning their transfer to a care residence when their health required it. The religious community also assumed the implementation of adaptation works in the convent to ensure the sisters' safety.
The superior expressed his gratitude to the volunteers who assisted the nuns in recent weeks and proposed that the received donations be allocated to a missionary project related to the education of girls and young women, noting that the convent guarantees the sisters all the necessary economic resources.
The Nuns Reject the Agreement: They Denounce a “Contract of Subjugation”
Despite being presented as a “viable and future-oriented” solution, the sisters rejected the proposal. Their lawyer described it as a “Knebelvertrag”, a “gag contract”, due to the demanded conditions. Among them were: the total suspension of activity on social media; the prohibition of any contact with the media; severe restrictions on the entry of sympathizers to the convent; the immediate renunciation of legal support and undertaking legal actions; and the complete withdrawal of the volunteers who had been assisting them since September.
The sisters also stated that the document was drafted “without their participation” and that it offered no solid guarantees regarding their long-term stay in Goldenstein.
Institutional Escalation: Rome Enters the Scene
After the refusal, the superior's spokesperson confirmed to Kathpress that the Vatican will be consulted to determine the next steps. “We are surprised and disappointed by the sisters' decision. What Superior Grasl had already said is happening: now the next instance comes into play, that is, Rome”, he stated.
The transfer of the case to the Holy See indicates that the situation, far from being resolved, enters a more delicate phase, where canonical aspects, religious obedience, protection of elderly people, and ecclesiastical property must be weighed.