Elderly Austrian nuns break out of nursing home

[NJCher]

and back into their former convent, defying diocese


Convent near Salzburg, to which nuns escaped

snip


Three octogenarian nuns have defied their diocese, run away from their nursing home and returned to their former convent in Salzburg, Austria, which they are now occupying. On September 4, Sister Regina, 86, Sister Rita, 81, and Sister Bernadette, 88, returned to Schloss Goldenstein, the Alpine convent and girls’ school where they had spent most of their lives — much to the displeasure of the local church.

On arrival, the nuns found that their former residence no longer had electricity or running water, so their supporters brought them water and emergency generators, CNN affiliate ORF reported.

The sisters’ former students have been helping and organizing a daily routine for them, while a family doctor is available to offer medical care, ORF added.

Since returning to the convent, the nuns have become active on Instagram, amassing more than 10,000 followers in little over a week. On their account, they document their daily routine of praying, eating and attending mass together as well as their now-frequent interviews with journalists from all around the world.

snip

Link to CNN story.

Here's a snip from the BBC:

The trio said they were taken out of the convent against their will in 2023. They regained access with the help of former students and a locksmith.

snip

They have an account an Instagram with over10,000 comments, but I couldn't find their account. I'm not an Instagram user, but maybe someone else who is can find their page.

[RockRaven]

1. The British tabloids gotta go with the headline "Nuns on the Run" right?

(A 1990 film starring Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane)

[niyad]

4. I loved that movie.

[Deuxcents]

2. The Pope should accommodate them

[Hekate]

3. You go, sisters!

[niyad]

5. will not sign up with cnn.

[niyad]

6. They "escaped" the nursing home??? Were they prisoners?

Last edited Tue Sep 16, 2025, 12:52 AM - Edit history (1)

From what I read at the erienewsnow site, there are some issues with the provost geberal, who sounds like a real sweetheart (sarcasm implied!).

Finally located their instagram account, need to sign up. The subtitles are not in English.

[NJCher]

7. did you see BBC comment

In my OP?

Would you please share the Instagram link? I couldn't find it when I went there.

[niyad]

8. I can't link (computer glitch), but if you go to the

erienewsnow story about them, the link is there. As I said, you have to sign up for instagram to see more than a few seconds, and the captions are not in Engllsh.

[soldierant]

9. If they were forced to leave the convent against their will, by a secular government,

and needed the assistance of a locksmith, at one location or the other, or at both, it certainly sounds like a prison.

You don't have to be a police officer to commit "false arrest." You just have to keep someone where they don't want to be.

[niyad]

10. The provost general is the head of the male religious order running things.

[soldierant]

13. So it's more like

a father locking up his daughters.

Still sounds like a prison to me. And I'm sure it felt like prison to them.

[niyad]

14. I was simply pointing out that it was not secular.

[Tommy Carcetti]

11. Brings to mind a storyline from the movie Cloud Atlas

(One of my all-time favorites)

[Maru Kitteh]

12. Good for them!

I like this story. Good job, ladies.