From chocolates to schism, the story of the Poor Clare nuns of Belorado who risk 12 years in prison

According to the order of the Court of Education n. 5 of Bilbao, cited by the Spanish media, the accused allegedly “manipulated, mistreated and humiliated the older sisters”, taking advantage of their particular vulnerability to make them join the schism. The charges include coercion, degrading treatment, abandonment of incapacitated persons, failure to provide assistance and crimes against ecclesiastical property.

The judge closed the preliminary investigation phase in May, ordering the parties to be referred for the presentation of the indictments and the opening of the trial.

The schism

The affair arises from the sensational break with the Catholic Church announced in May 2024 following the Church’s refusal to grant them the acquisition of a convent in Orduña (Bizkaia). The nuns, denouncing “persecutions”, broke with Rome and joined the Pious Union of the Apostle Saint Paul, considered a sect by the Catholic Church, coordinated by Pablo de Rojas Sánchez-Franco, excommunicated in 2019. The rebellion was led by Sister Isabel de la Trinidad, Mother Abbess of the Poor Clares, who at the time declared that she no longer recognized the Pope’s authority, calling him a “usurper of the Holy See”, and defended his actions: “They will call us heretics and schismatics, crazy and many other slanders and unpleasant things. Don’t believe them, at least not this time; don’t be fooled”.

accuses him

According to the judicial provision, the five elderly nuns, aged between 87 and 101, were never adequately informed of the decision to break with Rome, also due to their state of health. Four of them suffered from varying degrees of cognitive impairment, while a fifth had severe speech difficulties following a stroke.

The investigations also describe precarious sanitary conditions inside the monastery of Orduña, in the Basque Country, where the nuns had moved after the eviction from the convent of Belorado. The consultants appointed by the judiciary found widespread poor hygiene, a dirty kitchen and food stored in conditions considered dubious.

According to the investigating judge, the accused would have failed in their duty of assistance towards the more fragile sisters, subjecting them to treatment detrimental to their personal dignity and exploiting their psychophysical vulnerability. The order also states that the nuns exercised strong control over the elderly, inducing them to accept decisions that they were not able to fully understand for fear of the consequences. The magistrate also hypothesizes that the transfer of the older sisters was aimed at delaying the execution of the eviction, preventing it from being carried out in the presence of particularly vulnerable people.

Furthermore, they are accused of property crimes, as they are alleged to have stolen or attempted to sell ecclesiastical goods linked to the monastery, which is why an antiques dealer and the former abbess of Belorado were arrested a few months ago.

The accused, who today live between La Puebla de Montalbán, in the province of Toledo, and the monastery of Orduña, declare themselves “fully innocent” and say they are facing the proceedings “with the serenity of someone who knows they have not committed the alleged acts”. In their statement they argue that the pressure on the community “has not stopped increasing”, comparing the matter to “a witch hunt like in the times of the Inquisition”. In their opinion, the proceedings would represent “persecution and punishment” for having “challenged ecclesiastical authority”.

Eviction from the monastery

Last June 18, the Spanish Supreme Court ruled the sentence confirming the eviction of the former Poor Clares from the Belorado monastery is definitivedeclaring their appeal inadmissible and also condemning them to pay the legal costs. At the same time, the Court of Briviesca transferred another investigation relating to the sale of 1.73 kilograms of gold worth approximately 130 thousand euros to the judges of Burgos, deeming the court of the Castilian capital competent.