Spain: 12 years in prison sought for 'chocolate nuns' of Belorado

Spanish prosecutors are seeking 12-year prison sentences for each of the seven former Poor Clare nuns from the Belorado monastery who declared schism with the Catholic Church. Known in Spain as the 'chocolate nuns' for their artisanal confectionery business that funded the community, these religious women are now facing serious legal accusations.

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completely innocent

The nuns announced their break from the Vatican in May 2024, rejecting the Pope's authority and aligning with the ultra-traditionalist Pia Union of Saint Paul the Apostle, led by the excommunicated Pablo de Rojas Sanchez-Franco. The court in Bilbao has charged the seven nuns, who have also been excommunicated, with alleged coercion, degrading treatment, abandonment of vulnerable persons, failure to assist, and crimes against property.

Prosecutors contend that the nuns manipulated and humiliated elderly sisters suffering from cognitive decline, exploiting their vulnerability to join the schism and maintaining them in inadequate sanitary conditions. The accused are also alleged to have attempted to seize or sell assets belonging to the monastery's ecclesiastical heritage. An antique dealer and the former abbess were previously arrested in connection with the case.

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a witch hunt

Despite the charges, the accused nuns maintain their innocence, declaring in a statement that they are "completely innocent" and that the proceedings constitute a "witch hunt." They assert they are victims of "persecution" for challenging ecclesiastical authority. The investigation stems from a conflict with the Archdiocese of Burgos, which led to the eviction of the convent and the relocation of some nuns to another community. The trial date has not yet been set.

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a persecution