A nun who gave
birth to a baby boy in the central Italian city of Rieti, said she had no idea
she was pregnant, local media report.
The 31-year-old was rushed to
hospital with abdominal pains, which she thought were stomach cramps.
The young mother, who is originally
from El Salvador, reportedly named her newborn Francis after the current Pope. The mayor of Rieti, Simone Petrangeli has
appealed to the public and media to respect the woman's privacy.
The news has drawn international
attention to the small city of 47,700 inhabitants.
The nun called the ambulance on
Wednesday morning. A few hours later she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. "I did not know I was pregnant. I only
felt a stomach pain," she was quoted as saying by the Ansa news agency.
People at the hospital have begun
collecting clothes and donations for the mother and her child, Italian media
say.
The woman belongs to a convent near
Rieti, which manages an old people's home.
Fellow nuns at the convent said
they were "surprised" by the news.
Local pastor Don Fabrizio Borrello
told journalists that the nun planned to take care of the baby. "I guess she's telling the truth when she
says she arrived at the hospital unaware of the pregnancy."
(BBC)
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