Factual error: At the very end of the movie, the Pope gives the nuns a standing ovation. The other people seated in the box with him should have immediately risen at this time. Instead, the man seated to his left looks up at him, seeing that the pontiff has stood, but makes no movement to join him on his feet.
Factual error: At the end of the movie when they put on the concert for the Pope, Dolores is no longer wearing a full habit as her hair and ears (with big hoop earrings are visible). She isn't wearing a full habit because she would not have been allowed to, especially in the Pope's presence, since it was made public that she's not really a nun. However, during the end credits there is a picture of her with the Pope, and she is wearing a full habit.
Answer: It is because she is not, technically, a nun yet. She is a novice, one who is in the "trial period" of becoming a nun, but who has not made the final vows to join the order.
Twotall
She doesn't wear a white cap in the second movie either, and she did her vows.
It takes 9-12 years to become a nun, with many stages: discernment, aspirancy, postulancy, novitiate, temporary vows, and finally, solemn vows. The young nun may have moved up a step but would not yet have taken her solemn vows. The various stages would have differences in apparel, headdress, insignia, etc. that showed their rank. In addition, different nun orders wear different styles of habits.
raywest ★