Nuns
Nuns walk with pupils outside Corpus Christi Catholic College after teacher Anne Maguire was fatally stabbed in Leeds, northern England April 28, 2014. West Yorkshire police said they were contacted shortly before noon after an ambulance crew attended a stabbing at the senior school, Corpus Christi Catholic College, in Leeds, 175 miles (280 km) north of London. Reuters

Are Catholic convents so hallowed grounds that “miracles” like those that happened during Biblical times still happen in the 21st century?

One such “miracle” is that some nuns become pregnant and give birth even if they live in an all-female cloistered community and have taken vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, the New York Post reports.

The latest incident happened at the Santa Chiara nunnery in Macerata, Italy. A 31-year-old South American nun who joined the community in 2013, complained of stomach cramps. However, Hollywood Life reports that the nun arrived at the convent in June 2014 and possibly was pregnant already.

The extreme pain caused the nun to collapse that fellow nuns brought her to the Bartholomeo Eustachio Hospital in San Severino. The doctor’s diagnosis surprised the entire community – she was going into labour!

The nun claimed she didn’t know she was pregnant. However, it seems another miracle has happened because the other nuns, rather than condemn the sister for her “unexplained pregnancy” took care of all her needs and showed that love and acceptance are greater virtues.

They even said that if the South American nun does not want to keep her baby, they will take care of the infant.

In 2014, a 33-year-old Salvadorean nun also gave birth to a baby boy in Italy in similar circumstances.

But the maternal instincts of this nun was stronger that she expressed happiness over being a mother and named her baby Francis after the pope. She was even quoted as saying, “He is a gift from God. I feel more of a mother than a nun.”

To contact the writer, email: v.hernandez@ibtimes.com.au