The magistrate has sent the case to the Prosecutor's Office and the rest of the accusers so that, within ten days, they may present their indictment or request its dismissal. At the same time, she has ordered the dismissal of an eighth former nun, finding no evidence of her participation in the investigated events.
In the order, the head of Investigating Court No. 5 of Bilbao recalls that on May 13, 2024, the "Catholic Manifesto" was disseminated, in which the abbess, on behalf of the other investigated individuals, announced their decision to leave the Catholic Church, "not recognizing the authority of the Pope as usurper of the Holy See, which leads to the Schism and their excommunication."
Other members of the community, including two protected witnesses, ended up leaving the monastery after considering that the investigated individuals subjected them to "humiliations, punishments, vexations, and threats of reprisals if they did not side with them," although they did not file a complaint at the time.
According to the resolution, the older nuns did not participate in the decision of the Schism nor were they informed of it "due to their deteriorated state." The oldest, aged 101, initially accepted "out of obedience and for the good of the community," but suffered from mild cognitive impairment. Another nun, aged 89, had moderate cognitive impairment. A third sister, aged 87, did not have marked deterioration, although she had language problems after a stroke. Another, aged 94, suffered from severe cognitive impairment, as did a fifth nun aged 89.
Within the framework of proceedings opened by a court in Briviesca, entry and search of the Monastery of Orduña were authorized, to which the investigated individuals had moved at the end of July 2025, accompanied by the older sisters.
That court ordered the removal of the nuns who had not adhered to the Schism from the Monastery of Orduña, but the Civil Guard could not execute the order due to "obstacles and opposition" from the investigated individuals.
On December 18, 2025, entry into the monastery was again agreed upon to transfer the elderly nuns and subject them to examination by two forensic doctors, who recommended their admission to Basurto Hospital.
The minutes of that intervention stated that the older nuns "were not being adequately attended to."
In the cell of one of them, two dogs were found on the bed, one of them on the pillow, in addition to traces of excrement and urine. Another nun was sitting on the toilet without accompaniment or supervision, and a third remained in bed "showing a generally deteriorated state." The latter was transferred to Basurto Hospital with a severe case of respiratory failure and infection. After being discharged, she passed away on January 9, 2026.
The forensic report describes a generalized "lack of hygiene" in the monastery. "The hygienic-sanitary conditions in the different rooms visited show accumulated dirt, food remains, some in poor condition, the bathroom with a strong odor of urine, kitchen with piled-up utensils, general dirt, loose dogs and cats, and birds in the central courtyard, in some rooms accumulated feces remains," the document states.
The experts also noted "the dirty kitchen and food in a questionable state of preservation." The sick nun stated that she had lacked the necessary medical assistance, while the abbess maintained that she had received online attention from a doctor and, initially, some in-person visits.
When the older sisters resided in Belorado, healthcare was provided by Sacyl physicians. A doctor stated that this assistance was progressively restricted, to the point of hindering the clinical assessment of the nuns, "preventing access to the older nuns."
The same professional explained that the former nun in charge of the pharmacy "apparently changed some prescribed medication at her discretion, considering it not suitable," with the abbess's intervention.
"This lack of assistance, which began in Belorado, became evident when the transfer to the Monastery of Orduña took place at the end of July 2025, and from that date until December 18, 2025, the older nuns did not receive medical assistance despite the various pathologies and conditions they presented," the ruling emphasizes.
After her discharge from Basurto Hospital, one of the nuns told a witness that "the meals were scarce, they had her sitting all day and didn't let her nap, and they changed her diaper once a day." She added that "hygiene was scarce," that she had "scabs on her head that were difficult to remove, her nails were long, and they stayed in a room all day without going out." She also said that, "because she tripped over the animals, she fell to the ground and they didn't pick her up, and they kept her with ropes so she wouldn't fall."
The same witness stated that another elderly nun confessed that she felt "fear" towards the investigated individuals and that on December 21, 2025, she even said: "today they still haven't hit me." Another nun assured that she had been beaten on three occasions.
"Humiliating treatment" and control over the elderly
The ruling concludes that "from all of this, a breach of the duty of care" by the investigated individuals towards the elderly nuns, who were under their custody and "in a state of dependence and vulnerability," is derived. From these behaviors, it is evident that they were subjected to "humiliating treatment that diminished their dignity."
The resolution also emphasizes the "handling, control, and influence they exerted over them, taking advantage of their cognitive decline so that they would accept what they said out of fear and dread of the consequences of what could happen to them if they left." In the opinion of the investigating judge, there was "acceptance or consent vitiated by the decline in faculties."
The judge points out that one of the reasons for preventing the elderly women from leaving could have been to avoid the eviction of the monastery, as this would not have been carried out if particularly vulnerable people remained on the premises.
Possible economic motives and use of pensions
The investigating judge also notes that "financial reasons" could be present, given that, after the Schism, the monastery's accounts were blocked and came to be administered by the Pontifical Commissary, in a context of "economic needs" due to "the low economic performance in the businesses they managed, unable to meet the loans they had requested."
To overcome that situation, the judge maintains that the abbess, along with other investigated individuals, designed in November 2024 the opening of joint bank accounts with the older nuns with the objective of recovering control over their pensions. "In this way, they could face the expenses of their businesses and lucrative activities by managing, administering, and disposing of the periodic income that the older sisters received as pensions and aid," she indicates.
In execution of that plan, accounts were opened in the names of the elderly nuns in an online banking entity, and the investigated individuals "abused their administration and made innumerable transfers."
"The accounts of the older nuns have been used by the investigated individuals for their own benefit and for the management of their businesses with abuse in their administration, without any record that the funds from the accounts of the investigated individuals have been used for the sustenance of the community," the ruling states, which is subject to appeal.
In any case, those bank movements would have been carried out "under the control and direction" of the abbess, although the rest of the investigated individuals "shared" both the decisions and the profits obtained.