Nearly two years ago, the local abbey and the Archdiocese of Salzburg took ownership of the convent after the church moved the sisters into care. The nuns insist they never realised they were signing away what they believed was a lifelong right to stay in their cloister.

On Friday, their superior, Reichersberg Abbey provost Markus Grasl, said the sisters could remain. However, his offer required them to delete social media posts, avoid journalists, and drop any legal counsel. The trio dismissed it on the spot, and Grasl has now called in the Vatican.

In a Friday statement, the nuns said the provost’s proposal amounted to a gag order. Speaking on Instagram, Sister Regina said: “We can’t agree to this deal. Without the media, we’d have been silenced.”

Sister Bernadette told followers, “We need to resolve this, but any agreement we reach must be in accordance with God’s will and shaped by human reason,” she said.

The suggested agreement, seen by NPR, also bars laypeople from entering the cloisters, including long-time helpers the sisters rely on for daily support.

On Monday, the provost’s spokesperson, crisis PR manager Harald Schiffl, told NPR that Grasl does not understand why the nuns rejected his offer and has asked the Vatican office responsible for religious orders to intervene. Rome has yet to comment.

While they wait for a reply from the Holy See, the sisters continue posting to their 185,000 followers and keep an eye on the papal Instagram account.

Schiffl claims the proposed social media ban is fair, saying, “The abbey wishes to discontinue the sisters’ social media accounts because what they show has very little to do with real religious life."