The story of two elderly nuns who fled from their French convent after being ordered to move to a retirement home 400km away could easily be replicated in Ireland.Sister Saint-Denis (82) and Sister Marie-Daniel (86) fled two weeks ago after 30 years of teaching at the convent school after their Mother Superior decided they would have to move to the retirement home.
The fugitive nuns are now believed to be in hiding in an apartment loaned to them by a Christian charity and their fate is likely to be decided by a Church court.
Sr Marianne O'Connor, director general of CORI (Conference of Religious in Ireland) said that care of elderly members of convents and monasteries ''is becoming a difficult area'' in Ireland too.
''If a sister or brother needs 24-hour care or bed care, the convents and monasteries are not set up for this so they may have to move to a nursing home,'' she said.
''It is not desirable as it is a totally different environment for them. It's not very different from any other family, there's pain attached to it,'' she added.
Religious communities in Ireland have been increasingly forced to plan for care of elderly members as vocations have plummeted and members grow increasingly elderly. The average age of members of religious congregations in Ireland is 74.
A third nun, who was also planning to disobey an order for the first time in her life and join them, is recovering in hospital after breaking her hip.
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