Three octogenarian nuns have staged a mutiny in the Austrian Alps. It’s not nearly as violent as it sounds.
As reported by CNN, 88-year-old Sister Bernadette, 86-year-old Sister Regina, and 81-year-old Sister Rita are a trio of retired Catholic sisters who recently broke out of a nursing home. They hiked all the way back to their beloved former convent, squatting inside of it in defiance of the diocese.
The convent, Schloss Goldenstein near Salzburg, is definitely more of a fixer-upper. It had no electricity, no running water, and no stair lift. But the sisters spent most of their lives there. Even in its dilapidated state, it still felt like home. It was one of the few places they had ever called home.
Three Austrian Nuns Just Busted Out of a Nursing Home
Folks who supported their breakout, mostly former students of theirs, hauled in emergency generators, water, and even a doctor to provide them with medical care. The sisters, even deep into their 80s, were standing idly by as everyone did everything for them.
They picked up some cleaning tools and started scrubbing sinks, interspersing intermittent prayer routines. You can follow their whole journey on Instagram if you want to. The girls are documenting their convent renovation project like American house flippers.
Over 10,000 people now follow their daily dispatches of convent life on Instagram, where they engage in all the things people use modern social media for, such as microblogging and calling out the hypocrisies and failings of church leadership.
The nuns really seem to hate Provost Markus Grasl and the Archdiocese of Salzburg, after they claim that they were removed from the monastery against their will in late 2023. For his part, Grasl thinks their DIY convent renovation project is “completely incomprehensible.”
The church argues that the nuns are physically unfit for independence, but the nuns don’t care. They aren’t budging. They have hot water, working lights, and a legion of internet fans rooting for them.
Why would they ever leave? They’re gonna squat there for eternity.
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