Augustinian provost describes nun's defence of her human rights as "an extremely unfriendly act". Court-commissioned report declares she still has mental capacity.

Convent squatter was to be declared lacking mental capacity – ​​court says no

The three sisters who fled from the retirement home to their old monastery are defying all adversities: Sister Rita was to be declared incompetent. However, during a mandatory examination, she was able to convince the experts that she was still fit.

The attempt to declare one of the Augustinian nuns from Goldenstein incompetent has failed. On their Instagram account on Wednesday, the three elderly sisters announced that the process to appoint a legal guardian had failed. Sister Rita (photo above, center) emphasized that although she was somewhat forgetful, she was by no means demented. According to information from the Berchtesgadener Anzeiger, a request for adult representation for the 82-year-old sister was filed with the Hallein District Court, reportedly by the director of the retirement home the three sisters had left at the beginning of September.

The three nuns then gained access to their former monastery with the help of a locksmith. They had previously been accommodated in a Caritas retirement home. The Goldenstein Monastery became the property of the Archdiocese of Salzburg and the Austrian Canonry of Reichersberg in 2022. The provost of the Reichersberg Canonry, Markus Grasl, is responsible for the sisters under canon law. As Apostolic Commissioner, he is the superior of the sisters. The remaining sisters were assured that they could remain in the monastery as long as their health permitted. After several hospital stays, they were transferred to the retirement home in December 2023.

Care association confirms independent lifestyle

The court commissioned the association "Adult Representation Salzburg" to conduct an investigation. The association's managing director told the newspaper that, in his opinion, Sister Rita leads an "independent lifestyle" and is embedded in a good network of support workers. Therefore, the association does not recommend court-appointed adult representation. The responsible court generally follows the association's recommendations. A decision is expected in the next few days.

The sisters have also filed an appeal. In mid-October, they hired a lawyer to review, among other things, the nursing home's accommodation and the monastery's handling of its finances. Provost Grasl did not comment on the matter to the media. He said he could not comment until he received the complaint. However, he stated that the sisters' appeal was "an extremely unfriendly act that makes further steps more difficult."

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