Rebel nuns win reprieve to stay in convent, refuse to sign church demands they get off social media

Three elderly nuns who broke into their former convent after fleeing a Catholic Church-run care home may remain there, but only if they give up social media, cease contact with the press and dismiss their lawyers. Church authorities have laid out the conditions in a written proposal.

Sister Bernadette, 88, Sister Regina, 86, and Sister Rita, 82, have refused to sign the agreement, Agence France-Pressereports. On Friday, Church officials said the nuns would be allowed to remain in the convent "until further notice," provided they accept a list of conditions set by their superior, Provost Markus Grasl.

The proposal reportedly requires the nuns to immediately cease all social media and media contact, terminate any legal representation, and limit access to the convent's enclosed areas to members of their order.

The sisters returned to the Kloster Goldenstein convent in Elsbethen, near Salzburg, in September, with the help of supporters and a locksmith, months after denominational authorities relocated them to a Catholic care facility, citing concerns about their health. The nuns said they had been taken there against their will and felt isolated and unhappy.

Continued below.