A pair of nuns who were sent to Africa by the Catholic Church as part of missionary efforts on the continent returned to Italy pregnant.
The identities of the nuns are unknown but reports indicate that they are both Africans. The UK’s Mirror also indicates that they were sent by different orders in Sicily, on different missions.
The report stated that one of them, a 34-year-old woman, had gone to the hospital complaining of stomach pains, only to discover she was with child.
The other, a mother superior, also found out she was pregnant through her work with “fallen women and their children”. The Church is investigating these oddities.
A source in Rome was, however, quoted as saying: “It appears that both women were back in their home nations and obviously had some form of sexual encounter.
“An investigation has been launched; they both breached strict rules of chastity but the welfare of their children is uppermost.”
But Salvatore Riotta, the mayor of Militelo Rosmarino, where one of the women resides in Messina, Italy, has expressed his disappointment at how the news has been reported, adding he could vouch for the character of one of them.
Catholic Church head, Pope Francis, has in the recent past acknowledged that some nuns have been sexually assaulted by priests and said the Church was investigating ongoing cases.