Roxana Rodriguez: Pregnant Nun Raped?

Was the pregnant nun Roxana Rodriguez raped?

In a related story from The Inquisitr, while some were horrified at the nun birth, Rodiguez called the baby boy a “gift from God” and named him Francesco in honor of Pope Francis.

While the 31-year-old El Salvador nun thought the pregnancy was due to an ongoing gastric and bladder infection, and believed the swelling in her abdomen was related to poor digestion. Others doubt this story and claim the pregnant nun knew what she was doing, thus breaking her vows of chastity she made as a nun in September of 2012.

Things took a dark twist when Massimo Casciani, spokesman for the local bishop of the convent where Rodriguez was staying, hints that the formerly pregnant nun may have been raped:

“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.”

Unfortunately, the rape of nuns is an ongoing problem the Catholic Church has fighting for years:

“Confidential Vatican reports… revealed that members of the Catholic clergy have been exploiting their financial and spiritual authority to gain sexual favors from nuns, particularly those from the Third World who are more likely to be culturally conditioned to be subservient to men. The reports… said that such priests had demanded sex in exchange for favors, such as certification to work in a given diocese. In extreme instances, the priests had made nuns pregnant and then encouraged them to have abortions.”

Even the situation hasn’t been investigated, the convent also announced Rodriguez was expelled from the convent to “lead a secular life with her baby, away from religious institutions.” Allegations over a potential rape also were not part of the story told by Father Benedetto Falcetti, head of the regional branch of the Catholic charity Caritas, who claimed the nun became pregnant in 2013 when she returned to El Salvador for a short visit and ended up “rekindling a childhood flame.”

Whatever the truth may be, Roxana Rodriguez says she’s just focusing on moving on with her life:

“How do I feel? More like a mum than a nun…. I will definitely take care of my baby because he is a gift of God…. However I am very worried about the commotion that this has stirred up. They are talking about this, not only in Italy but in my own country and I am afraid to return there.”

Hospital director Pasquale Carducci says baby Francesco and the mother are doing well and will be discharged by tomorrow. But her identity as the pregnant nun who gave birth made her something of a celebrity:

“We have had to put extra security on the maternity wing because of all the interest. Like any new mum she is delighted but obviously this has created a great deal of clamor because she is a nun. There have been calls and gifts from dozens of well wishers and she has passed on her thanks to all these people.”

If Roxana Rodriguez was indeed raped do you think the Catholic Church should apologize to the nun and allow her to stay at the convent, baby and all?