Overview
- The three Augustinian choir nuns from Goldenstein attended the papal general audience in Rome on Wednesday and received a blessing from Pope Leo XIV.
- The Vatican had named 34-year-old Salzburg abbot Jakob Auer as mediator on Tuesday, assigning him to assist Propst Markus Grasl and draft a deal that could let the women remain in their former convent.
- Supporters say Vatican offices signaled a green light for the trip and that Auer was kept informed, while Grasl and Auer say no permission was granted and they questioned who drove the decision.
- Grasl earlier offered to let the nuns stay at Goldenstein if they left social media, avoided hiring lawyers, and stopped relying on former students for help, terms the women rejected.
- The clash stems from the nuns’ return to the empty Goldenstein convent in September 2025 after a move to a care home, and talks now face fresh strain as church-law consequences for the trip are debated.