Nuns run away - 20th October 2025

Three elderly Austrian nuns escaped from their care home. They wanted to stay in their convent, at Schloss Goldenstein.

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

The church wasn't happy about their escape. But Sister Bernadette, 88, Sister Regina, 86 and Sister Rita, 82, used to be teachers at the castle's Catholic school. The kind nuns were helped by their old students. One of them, Martina Krispler, explains.

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, a monastery was given control of the convent. If the nuns who lived there were well enough, they were allowed to stay. But that changed in December 2023. Provost Grasl, who now managed the convent, decided that the three nuns needed to move to a care home.

The nuns were unhappy with their new home, so they decided to pack their bags and escape. Sister Bernadette thinks that where she lives should be her decision. The church doesn't have the right to decide.

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."

When the nuns returned, their apartments were locked. But they entered with help from their former students. The electricity and water were also switched off. But they're more comfortable now.

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."

Now, people have started to talk about the care of elderly nuns. Should the Catholic church take decisions on where they live?