Mother superior scratched by nuns in battle with Vatican

A CONVENT in southern Italy is being shut down after a quarrel among its last three remaining nuns ended in blows.

Sisters Annamaria and Gianbattista, reportedly upset about their mother superior’s authoritarian ways, scratched her in the face and threw her to the ground at Santa Clara convent near Bari in an incident in July that was kept quiet until now.

Archbishop Giovanni Battista Pichierri tried to reconcile the nuns but has finally decided that they had “clearly lost their religious vocation” and asked the Vatican for permission to close the convent.

Sisters Annamaria and Gianbattista moved toanother convent, but Sister Liliana barricaded herself inside refusing to leave, adding that she suspected Battista Pichierri of planning to cede the convent to another community.

Liliana has been at the convent since its founding in 1963.

The sisters fought to such an extent that the mother superior ended up in hospital with scratches to her face.

Sister Liliana says she has not left her home for 44 years and has no intention of doing so now.

The Clarissa nuns are regarded as the most austere order of the Roman Catholic Church, devoted to a life of prayer, penance and quiet contemplation.

But the vow of silence was shattered by an unholy row.

Sisters Annamaria and Gianbattista say they were driven to distraction by the nasty habits of their mother superior.

Together, they turned on Sister Liliana.

Despite the efforts of Archbishop Giovanni Battista Pichierri to reconcile the three sisters, he has been forced to call on the Vatican for help.

He wrote to the Holy See telling them the sisters had “clearly lost their religious vocation” and with only one nun remaining has asked for permission to close the convent down.

But Sister Liliana is not going without a fight. She has written to the Pope telling him she will only leave when God decides it is time to go.

And despite the recent difficulties, she remains devoted to her vow of silence, making it difficult to resolve the argument with her.