Communication on the situation at San Giacomo di Veglia
- Isabelle DESARNAUD
- May 3
- 2 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Communication concerning the Pontifical Commissariation of the Monastery of Saints Gervasius and Protasius in San Giacomo di Veglia, Vittorio Veneto (Italy).
1er May 2025
Following various news items that have been disseminated in recent days, the Cistercian Order feels compelled to clarify the following:
Because of certain measures taken by former Abbess Aline Pereira Ghammachi against four nuns without respecting the Law of the Church and the Order, the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life asked Abbot General Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori to make an extraordinary Canonical Visitation. Following this Visitation, the Dicastery decreed the Pontifical Commissariat of the Monastery on 12 January 2023.
Accepting the abbess's appeal against this measure, the Dicastery decided to suspend and annul the Decree, and to begin an Apostolic Visitation entrusted to persons not belonging to the Cistercian Order.
At the conclusion of this Visitation, which essentially confirmed the problems noted by the first Visitation, the Dicastery deemed it necessary to renew the Decree of Pontifical Commissariation of the community, appointing Mother Martha Driscoll OCSO, abbess emeritus of Gedono Monastery in Indonesia, as Commissary.
When the Decree was notified on 21 April 2025, Mother Martha became the full superior of the community.
The former abbess asked to be absent from the monastery for a period with the agreement of the Commissioner.
On 29 April 2025, three solemnly professed nuns, a simple professed nun and a novice sneaked out of the monastery. It was later reported in the newspapers that they must have reunited with the former abbess at an unknown location.
Their statements to the media, which are not faithful to the reality of the facts, may lead many to get a completely distorted idea of the real situation of the community of San Giacomo di Veglia.
We would therefore like to point out that while five nuns have left the monastery, twenty others have remained faithful to their vocation and have gratefully accepted the decree of commissariation, continuing on their way in obedience to the Holy See and the Commissary.
The former abbess had the right to appeal against the Decree by turning to the Dicastery. Now she says she prefers to lodge a civil complaint, but it is not clear against whom and on what grounds, since everything was done in accordance with Church law, which is the only one authorised to regulate monastic life.
The community, therefore, sincerely wishes to continue its journey with fidelity to Christ and the Church, in truth and freedom, without being involved in unfounded polemics.
