A nun from El Salvador who gave birth to a baby boy in Italy has described him as "a gift of god" and pledged to take care of him as she faces expulsion from the convent.
Sister Roxana Rodriguez, 33, was rushed to San Camillo de Lellis hospital with
acute stomach pains in the town of Rieti, 50 miles north of Rome, late last
Tuesday – apparently unaware that she was pregnant.
A few hours later a baby boy, weighing nearly 9 pounds was born and Sister
Roxana named him Francesco in honour of the pope. The father of the child is
believed to be in El Salvador.
"I will definitely take care of my baby because he is a gift of God,"
Sister Roxana told social worker Anna Fontanella. "I called him Francis
in honour of our South American pope.