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An Italian nun has given birth to a baby boy and admits she had no idea she was pregnant.

The 31-year-old woman, originally from El Salvador, was rushed to hospital earlier this week complaining of severe stomach cramps.

"I did not know I was pregnant. I only felt a stomach pain," she told Italian news agency ANSA.

The nun has named her son Francis after the current Pope.

The name is extremely popular in Italy - St Francis of Assisi is the national patron saint.

People have begun collecting donations of money as well as clothing for mother and child, according to early reports.

The tiny city of Rieti has shot onto the international stage because of the news.

Simone Petrangeli, the mayor of the city, has urged people to give the new mother her privacy.

Her fellow nuns are said to be "surprised" by the news.