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The Roman Catholic Church is investigating after two nuns returned from a missionary trip pregnant.

The two women were from different orders in Sicily and went on separate charity assignments in Africa.

Both women have moved back to their home countries for childbirth. It is unclear what will happen to them, although they will most likely „leave their religious service.“

„They both breached strict rules of chastity but the welfare of their children is uppermost,“ a church source told a local news agency.

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The Roman Catholic Church is launching an investigation after two nuns returned from a missionary trip pregnant, breaching the strict rules of chastity.

The women, who were from different orders in Sicily, became pregnant while on separate charity assignments in Africa.

According to media reports, one of the women was a mother superior, who was working at an institute that helps „fallen women and their children.“ The woman, whose age is not known, discovered that she was several weeks pregnant and has since returned to Madagascar, her home country.

The second woman is believed to be 34 years old and found she was pregnant after being hospitalized because of severe stomach pains. She belonged to a convent in Sicily’s Nebrodi mountains but has since moved to Palermo to prepare for childbirth.

A church source told Italian news agency ANSA: „There is consternation at this news. It appears that both women were back in their home nations and obviously had some form of sexual encounter.“

„They both breached strict rules of chastity but the welfare of their children is uppermost,“ they added.

„The most likely outcome if they will leave their religious service.“

There have been previous instances in the Church of nuns becoming pregnant, but in some cases, this was not after consensual sex.

In February this year, the women’s magazine of the Church’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, reported on several cases of sexual abuse on nuns by clergymen. Several children had also been conceived, and some religious sisters had been forced to have abortions.

Pope Francis ended up confirming the accusations were correct: „It is true. There are priests and bishops that have done that.“