The association of the schismatic Bishop Pablo de Rojas, under whose guardianship the Poor Clares of Belorado in Spain, who made the headlines when they seceded, have announced to the responsible archbishopric of Burgos that they will neither hand over the keys to the monastery nor appear before the ecclesiastical court.
As the Spanish internet portal "Religion Digital" reported on Monday, Jose Ceacero, who has repeatedly acted as spokesman for the renegade nuns, explained that the Poor Clares no longer recognise the authority of the Archbishop of Burgos, Mario Iceta, who was appointed by the Vatican as the papal representative in the Belorado case. For this reason, they would not respond to any of the demands made of them.
Last Thursday, the Pope's representative, Archbishop Mario Iceta of Burgos, visited the Poor Clares in Belorado with a delegation in order to open a possible dialogue with the nuns.
According to the archdiocese, however, the former abbess is said to have told the delegation that - with the exception of the notary - "the others were 'not welcome' in the convent and should leave".
At the same time, the renegade nuns called the police. The notary was able to deliver the relevant notices from the court and the necessary "civil and canonical summonses" to the nuns, while the delegation provided information on how to proceed. They were also asked to return the keys to the convent.
Authority of the archbishop is not recognised
Ceacero from the schismatic association "Pia Unio Sancti Pauli Apostoli" led by the excommunicated Bishop Pablo de Rojas then declared that the Poor Clares would not hand over the keys, "especially not on the basis of a canonical demand".
He also recalled the 70-page manifesto of the Superior of the Poor Clares, in which she explained her reasons for breaking with the Catholic Church. It stated that they would leave the "Council Church" because, in their opinion, all popes after Pius XII were "heretical usurpers".
With the manifesto, they broke away and placed themselves under the protection and jurisdiction of Bishop Pablo de Rojas, who was, however, excommunicated in 2019 by the then Bishop of Bilbao, now Archbishop of Burgos, Mario Iceta.
Among other things, the resignation of the Poor Clares was proof that they "no longer recognise the authority of the archbishop" and would therefore no longer comply with the request to appear before the ecclesiastical court.
The case of the schismatic Poor Clares makes the headlines almost every week. Only recently, the Archdiocese of Burgos called on the schismatic Bishop Pablo de Rojas and the unofficial spokesman and spiritual guide of the apostate nuns to leave the controversial convent. They refused to comply.
The archbishopric threatened to take legal action. The Vatican then appointed Iceta as the papal representative in the Belorado case. All attempts at dialogue have so far failed. In mid-May, the abbess of the Poor Clares caused a scandal in a public statement when she renounced the church on behalf of all 16 nuns.
At the same time, they joined the schismatic Bishop de Rojas, who was excommunicated after an irregular episcopal consecration.
The Order of Poor Clares in Spain and Portugal finally separated from the Poor Clares.
One of the 16 sisters has already left because she did not agree with the abbess's decision.