Nun

Two Nuns Survive Three Days Trapped in Elevator

Jun 9, 2015

Two nuns of the Marist Sisters religious order have been rescued from an elevator in Rome after being trapped for nearly three days without food and water.

The 69-year-old from New Zealand and a 58-year-old Irish nun have been rescued on June 8 after they got stuck in an elevator during a power outage on June 5.

They cried out for help but there was no-one in the building over the weekend, Italian media said.

They were discovered on June8 by a cleaner who called police after ringing the doorbell and receiving no reply.

According to Il Messaggero, the police entered the building and called out if anyone was there and the nuns replied: “Yes, we are here, in the elevator.”

The two nuns later said they had “prayed so much” while trapped, the publication said.

They were taken to a nearby hospital where they were treated for dehydration.

The Marist Sister House hosts visitors to Rome from religious missions around the world.

Italian nun unaware of being pregnant

Jan 19, 2014

The Italian nun, who gave birth to a baby boy in the city of Rieti, said she had no idea she was pregnant, local media report.

The 31-year-old nun was rushed to hospital with abdominal pains, which she thought were stomach cramps.

The young mother, who is originally from El Salvador, reportedly named her newborn Francis after the current Pope.

The mayor of Rieti, Simone Petrangeli has appealed to the public and media to respect the woman’s privacy.

The news has drawn international attention to the small city of 47,700 inhabitants.

The nun called the ambulance on Wednesday morning. A few hours later she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

“I did not know I was pregnant. I only felt a stomach pain,” the nun was quoted as saying by the Ansa news agency.

The nun has named the baby boy after Pope Francis

People at the hospital have begun collecting clothes and donations for the mother and her child, Italian media say.

The woman belongs to a convent near Rieti, which manages an old people’s home.

Fellow nuns at the convent said they were “surprised” by the news.

Local pastor Don Fabrizio Borrello told journalists that the nun planned to take care of the baby.

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