The schismatic nuns of Belorado, a month after they abandoned their convent in Burgos, in the early hours and just hours before their eviction, are still without a permanent home. They are currently divided between La Puebla de Montalbán (Toledo) and the monastery of Orduña (Bizkaia), with their primary concern being the criminal proceedings underway in the courts of Briviesca and Bilbao.
The former nuns state that they have not yet found a definitive place to settle and, as they themselves admit, "they move according to need" between the Toledo municipality, where they were initially rehoused in a property lent by a relative, and the Basque monastery.
“"It is not the time to put down roots."
Sor Sion made this statement to journalists on Thursday after testifying for the second time in the Bilbao court regarding the investigation into the treatment of the elderly nuns, with whom they lived in Orduña until last December.
The spokesperson for the former nuns, Francisco Canals, explained that they "are still searching" for a place to settle among the offers received after a campaign launched in February to find a new convent. Canals admitted that the main issue is the lack of economic resources to cover the relocation costs.
In March, they launched a fundraising campaign that has collected over 1,200 euros. Despite having private support and a dog breeding facility, they lack sufficient funds to rent or purchase a property that might require renovations and convert it into a religious house.
With the departure of Sor Miryam, who announced in January that she was taking a "temporary community absence," they have also lost the income source provided by the restaurant in Arriondas (Asturias), which they opened a year ago and is now in the hands of the former nun chef and her family.
Canals acknowledges that the former Poor Clares live with "the dilemma of going to Orduña," as they know it would be a provisional solution given that another eviction procedure is open. They have ruled out the convent of Derio, from which the religious community left years ago after reporting supernatural experiences.
For this reason, the schismatic nuns move between La Puebla de Montalbán and Orduña, where they have stayed recently for the declarations of two of them —Sor Sion and Sor Israel— in the Bilbao court. They also spent Holy Week there, assisted by Fray Pedro for religious services, as indicated by their spokesperson.
However, Francisco Canals has stated that the former nuns are now more concerned about their judicial future, with several criminal proceedings open in the courts of Briviesca and Bilbao.
Following the eviction from Belorado —which is under appeal before the Supreme Court—, the evictions from Derio and Orduña are pending. The latter's procedure is suspended until a final judgment clarifies whether the archbishop of Burgos holds legal representation of the monastery as pontifical commissioner.
In the Briviesca court, an investigation is open for the sale of 1.73 kilos of gold, from which they obtained 130,000 euros; and another for selling convent artworks online, which led to the arrest of the former abbess and another former nun, investigated for the crime of misappropriation of cultural heritage assets.
Meanwhile, the Instruction Court 5 of Bilbao is investigating crimes of coercion, degrading treatment, abandonment, omission of the duty to render aid, and disloyal administration, in relation to the treatment given to the elderly nuns, whom the Guardia Civil removed from the Orduña monastery in December.
Furthermore, the former nuns are one month away from the second anniversary of the schism: on May 8, 2024, they signed the Catholic manifesto and the letter announcing their departure from the Catholic Church, a decision they communicated on May 13, and which led to their excommunication on June 22.
Of the ten nuns who signed the manifesto and were excommunicated, only seven remain in the group. Two left the convent that same summer —and after undergoing a religious process, the archbishop of Burgos has revoked their excommunication—, and the third, Sor Miryam, withdrew at the beginning of the year.
