A nun who gave birth to a healthy baby boy identified as Sister Roxana Rodriguez in the central Italian city of Rieti claimed that she had no idea that she was pregnant.

Sister Roxana Rodriguez, 31-year-old reportedly rushed to the hospital after complaining abdominal pain which she thought it was only a stomach cramps.

“I did not know I was pregnant. I only felt a stomach pain,” she told Ansa news agency.

The nun who turned to be a young mother who is reportedly from El Salvador give the name of her newborn child as “Francis” after the name of the present Roman Catholic Church.

The news started to spreads all over the city of Rieti with more than 47,700 inhabitants. The news drawn international attention that even became one of the hottest topics on social networking sites and blogs from the past several days marking the headlines that says “a nun got pregnant without knowing it.”

After the news went abroad, the people of the hospital have started receiving donations and clothes for the child and for the mother, said the Italian media.

The nun serves in the convent near Rieti, which ministered an old people’s home.

On the other hand, fellow nuns of Sister Roxan Rodriguez in the convent admitted that they were “surprised” by the news.

Rieti City Mayor Simeon Petrangeli has made an appeal to the public and media to respect and keep the privacy of the nun.

Don Fabrizio Borrello the local pastor who is in charge of running the ministry in the convent told the journalist that the nun planned to take care of the baby.

He also added that he believes that the nun is telling the truth.

“I guess she’s telling the truth when she says she arrived at the hospital unaware of the pregnancy.”

Massimo Casciani, spokesman for the local bishop of Rieti, monsignor Delio Lucarelli, said: ‘At some point the bishop will visit the nun but at the moment he has not yet seen here.

‘We shall be investigating the circumstances behind – the child could be the fruit of a consensual rapport but it could also have been as a result of violence. That’s why we need to investigate properly.