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Austrian Nuns Leave Care Home to Reclaim Alpine Convent

Their return revives a dispute over a promised lifetime residence after the Diocese of Salzburg moved them to a retirement home in 2023.

Overview

  • The three octogenarian sisters—Bernadette, Regina and Rita—left a Catholic care facility in early September and re-entered the Goldenstein convent near Salzburg.
  • Former students and a guardian or locksmith helped them regain access to the building after locks had been changed.
  • When they arrived, water and electricity were off; supporters have since partially restored utilities, brought food and arranged medical examinations.
  • Provost Markus Grasl criticized the return as incomprehensible, saying the convent rooms are unusable and that independent living there is no longer feasible.
  • The nuns say they were removed against their will despite a lifetime-residence understanding, and coverage reports no legal resolution to the dispute.