Elderly nuns flee care home to return to old convent

Act comes amid battle with Church over their right to remain in nunnery

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Three rebel nuns in their 80s have taken back their Austrian convent after fleeing from their care home, with supporters flocking to the nunnery on Sept 20 in a show of solidarity.

Sisters Rita, 81, Regina, 86, and Bernadette, 88, have graced international headlines following their flight earlier in September from the care home the Catholic Church sent them to in late 2023 “against their will”.

Before then, the three were the last remaining nuns at Goldenstein castle in Elsbethen, south of the city of Salzburg, which has housed both the towering nunnery and a private school for almost 150 years.

Several of the nuns’ former students gathered at the majestic convent on Sept 20 to offer rosary prayers one bead at a time.

Other allies of the rogue sisterhood joined later, bearing food or just stopping by for a chat.

The prayers’ calm offered a rare moment of respite amid the media whirlwind engulfing them in the aftermath of their unorthodox flight - and ongoing battles with the Church hierarchy over their right to remain in the nunnery.

Former student Eva-Maria Seeber, 76, told AFP that she had come to support the trio and take a stand.