A nun from El Salvador was rushed to an Italian hospital for what she believed was severe stomach pains but ended up giving birth to a baby boy. The 31-year-old nun, identified as Roxana Rodriguez, delivered a healthy baby weighing 7.7 pounds on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
Rodriguez claims she had no idea she was pregnant. Because the birth was such a surprise, new mothers in Rieti hospital started collecting clothes and donations for the nun.
"I did not know I was pregnant. I only felt a stomach pain," the nun was quoted as saying in the hospital.
Rodriguez named the baby Francesco, after Pope Francis. According to reports, Rodriguez arrived in Italy last summer to become a nun at the "Little Disciples of Jesus" convent in Camporor near Rieti. The new mother said she was not aware of the pregnancy when she made her vows for celibacy but said the father is a man from her hometown in El Salvador. Rodriguez hasn't released the name of the father or if he's aware of the child yet.
Don Fabrizio Borella, a local pastor, said he believes Rodrigues' story.
"I guess she's telling the truth when she says she arrived at the hospital unaware of the pregnancy," Borello said, according to the BBC.
Rodriguez, who is said to be doing well following the pregnancy, told reporters that she would be taking care of her new son. However, the nun may not be able to return to her convent. According to the Daily Mail, the other nuns said they would not visit Rodriguez in the hospital and hoped she wouldn't be returning.
"What she has done is not right at all," the nun told the Daily Mail. She has betrayed her vows. She will not be coming back here."
Regardless of the backlash and complete shock the new mom said she doesn't feel guilty over the surprise pregnancy or birth.
"I do not feel of guilt," she said, the Daily Mail reports. "I will be keeping him and bringing him up. He is a gift from God. I am little worried about all the publicity, not only in Italy but in El Salvador and all over the world. Everyone is talking about this and I don't think I will be able to return to my home country, let alone Rieti."
