Sixteen Spanish nuns have declared their departure from the Catholic Church to follow Pablo de Rojas Sánchez-Franco, a self-proclaimed bishop excommunicated in 2019.
The nuns, members of the Poor Clare sisters of the Franciscan Order of Saint Clare, were located in the dioceses of Burgos and Vitoria in northern Spain.
This split occurs amidst conservative discontent with Pope Francis’ leadership.
In February, 90 Catholic clergy and scholars wrote to church leaders urging opposition to a papal document permitting priests to bless same-sex couples.
Additionally, Francis recently upset many American conservatives by calling the effort to block migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border “madness.”
The nuns, led by Sister Isabel of the Trinity, detailed their break in a five-page letter on their convent’s website.
Sister Isabel criticized church leaders for their “silence,” accusing them of abandoning their followers to “face the wolves” alone.
