Vatican expels rebel nuns for refusing to leave Italian monastery | Vatican | The Guardian
For the past decade, the monastery and its cloistered community described as representing an important slice of Ravello s history has been home to only three nuns: Panza, Punnackal and Maria Cristina Fiore, a 97-year-old sister who has lived there since 1955.
The three were asked to transfer to another monastery or convent after the Vatican conducted an inspection of its various properties and concluded that there were too few residents at Santa Chiara to warrant the community being maintained.
After a request to replenish the monastery with nuns was rejected, the sisters attempted to negotiate with the Vatican to keep it going. They were ultimately snubbed, with Panza and Punnackal being given their marching orders from the monastery and nunhood for resisting the requested transfer. Sister Fiore is permitted to stay, owing to poor health which has left her bedridden, while two other nuns have moved in to assist her.
In the letter from the Vatican, Panza and Punnackal were told they had disobeyed the church .
It s essentially a punishment, said Fabrio Adernò, the lawyer for the pair. And because it has been confirmed by Pope Francis they can t appeal. The only solution would be one of grace, in that the pope removes this order and allows them to reintegrate into the nunhood.
The Guardian has asked the Vatican for comment.
Panza has returned to her family home in Nola, near Naples, where she is temporarily hosting Punnackal, who is originally from India. The two nuns protested against the transfer over fears that the monastery, which along with its adjacent church was built in 1297, would be closed.
The Vatican is a harsh landlord.