According to consistent Austrian media reports on Friday, the social welfare department of the province of Salzburg is demanding the return of around 64,000 euros, which in the legal opinion of the authorities was wrongly received for two of the nuns.
The Augustinian monastery of Reichersberg has firmly rejected the allegations.
The disputed money is said to have been paid out for the sisters' accommodation in the Kahlsperg nursing home in Oberalm.
However, the obligation to provide care lies with the convent, the authorities explained. This was evident from the transfer contract between the monastery and the Augustinian canons, which was not known at the time of the social welfare application.
According to a statement obtained by the Austrian Catholic news agency Kathpress on Friday, a spokesperson for the monastery, which is organisationally responsible for the sisters, explained that the applications for social welfare had been made "completely in accordance with the law".
The Salzburg-Umgebung district authority had duly examined and approved the applications. "There can be no question of abuse," he emphasised. For the sisters concerned, "all social security contributions had been paid or withheld by the social welfare organisations for decades".
The state of Salzburg is now apparently assuming that the legal requirements for receiving social welfare have changed as a result of the transfer agreement. The superior of the order, Provost Markus Grasl, has therefore been invited by the state to a clarifying discussion. "This dialogue will take place soon," says Schiffl.
Goal: "Best possible care and support"
There is currently no official decision from the authorities. "Should the approval of the social benefits now be withdrawn by the state, the money received up to that point will of course be refunded without question," emphasised the spokesperson.
Reichersberg Abbey emphasised that it had always acted in the legal and welfare interests of the sisters concerned. The aim had been to "ensure the best possible care and support".
The order's management trusts that the upcoming talks with the responsible authorities will lead to "a complete clarification of all open questions".
The three elderly nuns have been occupying their former convent in Goldenstein since mid-September, making headlines around the world.
The "nonnen_goldenstein" now have almost 73,000 followers on Instagram. They gained access to the building at the beginning of September with the help of a locksmith.
Goldenstein Castle became the property of the Archdiocese of Salzburg and Reichersberg Abbey in 2022 - with the promise that the nuns could stay there as long as their health allowed.
However, after several stays in hospital, they were transferred to a retirement home in December 2023.