Spanish court rules in favor of Church in eviction lawsuit against schismatic nuns

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 5, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A Spanish court has ruled in favor of the Catholic Church in the eviction lawsuit against the former Poor Clare nuns of Belorado, ordering them to leave the monastery they are illegally occupying.

“The ruling upholds in its entirety the eviction lawsuit filed on Sept. 16, 2024, by the pontifical commissioner as major superior, administrator, and legal representative of the monastery of Belorado,” announced the statement from the office of the pontifical commissioner published Aug. 1.

The papal commissioner, Archbishop Mario Iceta, is also the archbishop of Burgos, where the monastery is located.

The text specifies that the ruling declares “that the eviction of the defendant [the schismatic former nuns] from the aforementioned property is warranted, the possession of which must be returned to the plaintiff, and orders the defendant to vacate, leave the aforementioned property free and clear, and at the disposal of the plaintiff, with the threat of eviction if they do not do so voluntarily.”

The ruling of the lower court, located in the town of Briviesca, follows the July 29 trial and states that “the defendant has not demonstrated, as was their responsibility, that it possesses any title that would justify and legitimize the use of the property” against the demand to vacate by the actual title holder, “which must lead to the full upholding of the claim.”

The ruling also emphasizes that the schismatic former nuns cannot acquire the property they occupy because it is merely “a gathering of individuals [as opposed to a juridical person] lacking the authority” to do so.

Carlos Azcona of the office of the pontifical commissioner said regarding the case that “it is important to note that this ruling addresses the substance of the matter,” stating that the former nuns’ “so-called conventual chapter” is nothing more than “a gathering of individuals lacking the authority to meet as such a chapter.”

He thus noted that “the agreement reached [by the schismatic nuns] regarding the transformation of the monastery into a civil association would be null and void and cannot serve as a justification for the right to continue occupying the monastery.”

Finally, Azcona clarified that “the ruling we learned of yesterday orders the eviction of the schismatic former nuns who do not belong to the monastic community. The older sisters [still in communion with Rome] are the only ones who constitute the Belorado monastic community, and at this time we should not make any statements regarding any action related to them.”

In a previous ruling, the Briviesca court had already set Sept. 12 as the date for the eviction.

The schismatic former nuns of Belorado

The former Poor Clare nuns of Belorado were excommunicated from the Catholic Church for the crime of schism in June 2024 after announcing in May 2024 that they were leaving the Catholic Church and placing themselves under the tutelage of a false excommunicated bishop.

On May 13, when they announced their departure from the Catholic Church, the nuns indicated in a letter and a declaration that they recognize “H.H. Pius XII as the last valid supreme pontiff,” a decision that was explained through an attached 70-page text titled “Catholic Manifesto” claiming that “the see of St. Peter is vacant and usurped.” 

At the time, the nuns stated that their community “is leaving the conciliar Church to which it belonged to become part of the Catholic Church.” They complained that in recent years there have been “contradictions, double and confusing language, ambiguity, and loopholes in clear doctrine have been coming from the chair of Peter.” 

In addition to the penalty of excommunication, the 10 former nuns were expelled from consecrated life, which meant they were supposed to leave the monastery. However, they did not do so and began a legal battle to remain in the building.

In mid-September 2024, Iceta, the pontifical commissioner appointed by Pope Francis, filed a lawsuit demanding that the schismatic former nuns leave the monastery. He had repeatedly stated that the former Poor Clares could no longer occupy the monastery, having expressed their decision not to remain in the Catholic Church.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265779/spanish-court-rules-in-favor-of-church-in-eviction-lawsuit-against-schismatic-nuns