According to Spanish media reports, the former abbess sold 1.73 kilograms of gold for 130,000 euros.
The Archbishopric of Burgos confirmed in a press release on Tuesdaythat it had been informed by the police that the sale had taken place.
According to the archbishopric, the police have asked the buyer of the gold to "refrain from any action with the acquired assets until this person's legal ownership of the said items is recognised".
The documents available to the archdiocese show that the religious community purchased gold totalling over 250,000 euros in two transactions in 2020. These purchases were lawfully made in the name of the order's two monasteries.
However, according to canon law, which is also recognised by the state in Spain, the order's assets are the property of the church, not the individual members of the order: "The former abbess lacks any legal capacity to manage or represent the canonical legal entities of the monasteries of Belorado and Derio, which own the gold," the archbishopric said.
The community's assets are under the supervision of an administrative commission appointed by the Archbishop of Burgos, who was appointed administrator of the monastery by the Vatican.
It is still unknown who owns the account into which the proceeds of the gold sale were paid.
What is certain is that it is not an account of the monastic legal entities recognised by the church.
Eviction by authorities delayed
The former nuns are still in the Belorado convent despite their excommunication and an eviction suit.
They had attempted to convert the convent into an association under civil law and thus continue to have access to the assets.
According to the archbishopric, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior has refused to allow the former nuns to convert the convent into an association.
The eviction of the convent was originally scheduled for 23 January, but has been delayed until today because the eviction notice could not be delivered to all the former nuns concerned.
The conflict surrounding the Poor Clares of Belorado has continued to escalate in recent months.
In May, the sisters published a manifesto in which they distanced themselves from the Catholic Church and declared that they would not recognise any popes after Pius XII.
In the course of the conflict, they joined various schismatic alleged bishops and were and were excommunicated because of their schism.
All attempts at mediation by the Archbishop of Burgos, Mario Iceta, appointed as Papal Commissioner, failed.
In addition to the schismatic ex-nuns, there are five elderly sisters in need of care in the convent who did not join the schism.