33 year old Roxana Rodriguez, a nun with the order of the Little Disciples of Jesus, initially claimed she thought her labour pains were 'stomach cramps' when an ambulance rushed her to the hospital.
Her picture was published this weekend in the Italian daily newspaper, Corriere Della Sera. The new mum reportedly told her social worker:
'I am so happy. I feel more of a mother than a nun, I think that's obvious. I decided to call him Francis in honour of our wonderful south American Pope. I do not feel of guilt. 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"Sister Roxana took her vows and became a nun in the order last September and has since written an apology letter to the Church and her Mother Superior. She revealed that the father of her child is a man from her native El Salvador but has not named him.
A priest close to the new mum told the Italian magazine:
'It all happened last spring, around March or April time when she was back in El Salvador to get her passport renewed. She has not said who the father is but I understand he is an, shall we say, old flame of hers from when she was younger. At some stage I expect she will tell the father that he has a son and they will be reunited but I don't know when that will be.
