new website title:A Spanish court has handed down a decisive ruling in favor of the Catholic Church, ordering the eviction of a group of former Poor Clare nuns who had refused to vacate the Belorado monastery following their excommunication.

According to CNA, the decision upheld the Church’s legal claim to the monastery and affirmed that the former nuns, who had broken away from Church authority, had no legal grounds to remain on the property.

The conflict began on May 13, 2024, when a group of nuns publicly renounced their affiliation with the Catholic Church and declared loyalty to an excommunicated bishop. In their statement, they also criticized modern Church leadership and claimed the papacy had been vacant since Pope Pius XII.

This departure led to their formal excommunication in June 2024 for the canonical crime of schism. Despite this, the group remained at the monastery and continued to occupy the property without Church approval or civil permission.

On September 16, 2024, Archbishop Mario Iceta, who serves both as the Archbishop of Burgos and the Vatican-appointed commissioner for the monastery, filed a formal eviction lawsuit. The archbishop acted in his legal capacity as major superior and administrator of the Belorado monastic community.

Spain court rules after months of tension

Following extended legal proceedings, including a July 29, 2025 trial, a civil court in Briviesca issued its ruling in support of the Church’s petition for eviction. In the judicial decision, the court made clear that the claimants had failed to provide legal justification for their continued residence in the monastery.

“The defendant has not demonstrated, as was their responsibility, that it possesses any title that would justify and legitimize the use of the property,” the court stated in its written decision issued July 31, 2025. The court deemed the eviction warranted and ordered the former nuns to leave the monastery voluntarily or face forced removal.

In an announcement from the Pontifical Commissioner’s Office on August 1, the ruling was described as a full endorsement of the Church’s legal claims. The court’s confirmation of the eviction aligned with an earlier decree establishing September 12, 2025, as the final date for voluntary departure.

Legal arguments rejected by the court

The former nuns attempted to maintain control over the monastery by establishing a new civil association and asserting that this organization granted them the right to remain. However, the court dismissed this claim.

Carlos Azcona, acting on behalf of the Pontifical Commissioner, described their organization as an informal assembly “lacking the authority” to operate as a legitimate conventual chapter. According to Azcona, the group’s efforts amounted to nothing more than a private gathering of individuals with no recognized status.

Azcona also emphasized that the legal attempt to convert the monastery into property of a civil association was invalid. “The agreement reached regarding the transformation of the monastery into a civil association would be null and void,” he stated, underlining that the maneuver could not serve as a legal basis for occupancy.

A monastic divide and its consequences

In contrast to the group that left the Church, several older sisters at the monastery remained in full communion with Rome. The court affirmed that these women are the only legitimate members of the Belorado religious community under civil and canon law.

The court specifically noted that the presence of the schismatic former nuns compromised the rightful ownership and use of the property by the recognized monastic members. As such, the ruling authorizes both the reclamation of the premises and the removal of unauthorized occupants.

The ruling also advised that if the former nuns refused to vacate the monastery voluntarily by the specified date, authorities would carry out a forced eviction. The aim, the court emphasized, is to restore the property to its rightful legal status under Church governance.

No comment on future action toward dissenters

Church officials have chosen not to comment further on any disciplinary or canonical action beyond the confirmed excommunication. According to Azcona, the Church's current priority is the peaceful and lawful recovery of the Belorado property.

“At this time, we should not make any statements regarding any action related to them,” Azcona said, referring to the former nuns. The focus, he reiterated, remains on the preservation of the monastery’s integrity and the rights of its legitimate residents.

As of early August 2025, Church officials are preparing for the court-ordered eviction, while the broader Catholic community watches to see how the situation resolves ahead of the September deadline.