Carmelite Nuns, "Friends of the Pope", Have to Give up
The Carmel has been in Lucena for 412 years, but the current building dates from 1966. Only three nuns remain in the convent, a fourth recently left. The three nuns will be transferred to the Carmel of Cabrera, in the Diocese of Salamanca.
In the communiqué, the prioress said that they have had the "inestimable support of the bishop" and of Pope Francis, who has repeatedly shown his "closeness and inestimable support" through his "frequent telephone calls".
The relationship dates back to Bergoglio's time as archbishop of Buenos Aires. He struck up a friendship with Mother Adriana de Jesús Crucificado, who was prioress at the time.
Bergoglio has visited the convent to speak to her in person. He also called the covent when he learned of her impending death in September 2023. According to DiocesisDeCordoba.es, Francis comforted the dying nun in her last moments of life and then contacted the convent again to express his condolences to the rest of the nuns' community.
In previous calls, Francis encouraged the community to pray for "Christian unity" [why not Catholic unity?] and for "families" and asked them to live in "austerity and poverty".
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