Austrian nuns who escaped foster care wait for word from the Vatican: NPR

SALZBURG, Austria – Set against the snow-capped peaks of the Alps, the monastery church of Schloss Goldenstein is lit by candles and prepared for Christmas.

In early December, the mood is contemplative, a sharp contrast to the hubbub that occurred here earlier this year.

On this occasion, there were no jostling journalists, no opportunistic influencers, and no indication that a Hollywood screenwriter was looking to buy the rights to a film. story That resonated around the world. Just three octogenarian nuns sitting in quiet prayer.

As of this week, The sisters say they are withdrawing from social media Until further notice. In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Sisters Rita, Regina and Bernadette said they had responded to a request from the Vatican “to spend Advent and Christmas in inner peace and contemplation.”

That’s how NPR found the sisters as Advent begins.

But Sister Bernadette, 88, said the liturgical recitation in early December was not as peaceful as it seemed. Peering over her glasses with raised eyebrows, she explained that one prayer was particularly arduous.

“We continue to pray for the dean,” Sister Bernadette announced. “In fact, we prayed for him with every praise for six weeks without stopping, but it became so exhausting that we decided to save our prayers for him for the weekly Mass.”

The dean of their prayers is Markus Grassl, the head of the nuns at the local monastery. He accused the sisters of violating their vows when they stormed their monastery last September, along with the largest monastery in Austria. Tabloid newspaper in tow. The sisters escaped from a nursing home where they say the dean sent them against their will.

Initially, Grassel was unhappy with the nuns’ refusal to stay in the care home, but last month she agreed to let them stay in the convent – but only “until further notice” and only if they gave up social media, stopped speaking to the press and stopped seeking legal advice.

Nuns He refused his offer In early December, he described it as a gag order. But starting Wednesday, they responded to the Vatican’s request, made last week, to take a break until further notice.

Both parties appealed to the Vatican to resolve the situation. The Vatican authorities informed the sisters that they were working to find a “just, humane and sustainable solution.” The Vatican did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment.

The complexities surrounding the presence of nuns on social networking sites

While they wait, the sisters continue their daily lives that revolve around Mass, even if it is their own lives An increasingly popular Instagram account It suggests otherwise.

While a growing flock of more than 280,000 Instagram followers appreciate posts showing off the sisterhood’s high moves — like Sister Rita’s boxing sessions — the dean’s spokesman, Harald Scheffel, is less enthusiastic.

“The presence of sisters on social media has nothing to do with real religious life,” Schiffel told NPR. “This is why the monastery wants to stop his Instagram account.”

When asked if she was happy in the spotlight, 82-year-old Sister Rita shrugged and smiled. “The boxing sessions were fun,” she said. “I’m not sure they need to post on Instagram, but if our followers enjoy seeing me in the box, so be it!”

Sister Bernadette insists that their social media presence was never meant to be about them: “Our Instagram account allows us to spread the word and help a new generation find Jesus in their hearts.”

But as she climbs a newly re-erected ladder to the top of the convent’s steep spiral staircase, Sister Bernadette points out that becoming a novice altruist has been a steep learning curve. Not least because the volunteers who help the sisters disagree about how to approach social media.

Christina Wertenberger, one of the former students the nuns are now supporting, he told NPR in October And when other volunteers suggested launching an Instagram account, she said it should only be on the condition that the sisters give their explicit permission to publish each post — something the sisters now say they did not give.

The nuns are distancing themselves from the Instagram account

In a statement released on Wednesday, the nuns claimed that none of the posts and comments made on the @nonnen_goldenstein Instagram account were “previously brought to our attention” or “subsequently approved by us.” They also state that if an account remains active during the announced social media pause, “it is expressly against our will.”

However, the Instagram account, which has been managed from the beginning by a volunteer, is still publishing posts, and it even addressed the sisters’ decision to withdraw from Instagram and refuted their accusation that they knew nothing about what was published.

Internal disputes aside, the nuns also expressed in the statement their “deep gratitude” to their social media followers in recent months, adding that “without the support of the media, we would have been helpless in the face of the cruelty and arbitrariness of our president.”

Although there was a degree of naivete and lack of public relations experience, the publicity strategy was always about the sisters’ survival, Wertenberger says.

She says the nuns have become unnecessarily dependent on donations. “The sisters can no longer receive their pensions, which are paid each month into their savings account and which are now managed solely by Dean Markus Grassl at the convent,” says Wertenberger.

It alleges that the dean – who took control of the sisters’ bank account when he removed them from the convent two years ago – also wrongly claimed state benefits to pay for their care home.

After these allegations are made Local addresses Last month, Shevell, the dean’s spokesman, confirmed to NPR that Grassle has since returned the welfare payments and insisted there was no wrongdoing.

“The head of the nuns applied for government benefits for the sisters and it was approved,” says Schiffel.

“But the authorities changed their minds about the nuns’ eligibility for state funding,” he says. “It was a completely normal process and the matter was resolved.”

talking to Austrian News Agency APASalzburg District Commissioner Karin Gwollner explained that the dean did not provide full details about the sisters’ financial situation. Once the authorities had the full facts, they stopped paying the dues.

Sister Bernadette says she will continue to pray for the dean while they wait for word from Rome.

She, Sister Rita, and Sister Regina asked the Vatican to relieve the dean of his duties to their sister order.

“We simply hope that the hand of God will guide what is happening,” says Sister Bernadette.

She raises her eyebrows and adds: “Amen. Hallelujah.”