Courageous nuns in Elsbethen: monastery dispute for obedience and freedom!

Courageous nuns in Elsbethen: monastery dispute for obedience and freedom!

What is going on in the Goldenstein monastery near Salzburg? For a few weeks now, three sisters have been inhabitant for the monastery, which has caused a lot of attention in recent months. Sister Bernadette, who is 88 years old, and her fellow campaigners recently left their retirement home and gained access to their former home with a locksmith. They have now won almost 50,000 followers on Instagram and document their everyday life in the monastery community, which was officially dissolved until early 2024. However, their return to a place that they explained for decades than at home encounters mixed reactions.

The provost of Salzburg, Markus Grasl, is anything but enthusiastic about the return of the sisters. He accuses them of violating their vows of obedience and criticizing that they not only disregard the rules of the monastery, but also let the private living area, the exam, open to outsiders with their return. Grasl describes the situation as "completely unacceptable" and emphasized that he wants to talk to the sisters about the possible consequences of their actions, but not about the media. "The obedience also applies in retrospect," he explains, and blows into the horn of the church order, which he considers injured. katholisch.de further informs that the community of the Augustiner choir masters in 2022 was overwhelmed in the possession of the archbishop. And remain spiritually justifiable.

Life in the monastery

The sisters, despite their old age over 80, feel comfortable in the monastery atmosphere. Sister Bernadette says that they have been "wonderful" since their return. A supporting group of around 200 helpers is at your side, including doctors, nurses and craftsmen to advance the barrier -free conversion of the monastery. Grants are collected for the installation of a stairlift and age -appropriate sanitary facilities. In this self -determined environment, the sisters seem to have recovered the feeling of quality of life. Her return not only symbolizes personal courage, but also a solidarity step, which is celebrated by former students and the public.

Against the background of the challenges that the religious communities in Austria increasingly affect, it is remarkable that the women living in the monastery for a long time are against the currents of social change. A study by the Austrian Academy of Sciences has recently shown that life in the monastery can compensate for social differences in life expectancy. Monks live in monasteries under stable conditions that offer higher life expectancy and far lower stress factors. These structures could also play an important role for the three sisters, while they are in their familiar environment, which has become a quiet port for them over the years. [Katholisch.at] (https://www.katholisch.at/aktuelles/151874/klosterleben-chell-zial- Unterschiede-aus) describes the advantages of a monastery life as a comprehensive health protection, which is often missing in the hectic world of today.

It remains to be seen how this story continues. So far there is no dialogue between the sisters and the church leadership, while the community of Augustinian choir masters tirelessly entirely on their right to the monastery. The welfare state aspect and the question of a fairer distribution of resources within the religious community make this situation all the more exciting and relevant to the general public.