Infant left in a shopping bag beneath the crucifix of a church in Rome is in good health, as carabinieri investigate.A newborn baby was found abandoned in a church in Rome on Friday afternoon, left in a plastic shopping bag beneath the crucifix near the altar. The child is in good condition and is being cared for in hospital.The alarm was raised at around 16.30 on Friday at the church of San Gregorio Magno, in Piazza Certaldo in the Magliana district, in the Portuense area of the city. A parishioner who had entered to pray heard cries, approached the altar and discovered the baby. The parish priest, Don Giacomo Pavanello, told news outlet Fanpage that CCTV footage showed a hooded person leaving the bag about 20 minutes earlier. He said it was not clear whether the person was a man or a woman, as they were well covered. The baby was naked and wrapped in two blankets, he said, and was calm and appeared to have been fed recently. The priest said the baby was moved to a warm room in the parish and kept there until medical help arrived. Carabinieri and an ambulance were called. Emergency services personnel treated the baby at the scene before taking him to the San Camillo-Forlanini hospital for tests and care. Initial medical assessments indicated he was born 24 to 48 hours before he was found. Carabinieri are examining the church’s CCTV footage and are collecting recordings from cameras in the surrounding area in a bid to trace the person’s route to and from the church. The parish has named the baby Gregorio, after the church’s patron saint. Don Giacomo said the community was shaken but glad the child was well, adding that the parish also felt for the baby's mother. “We cannot close our eyes to the drama of a woman who was unable to keep her child,” he said. Photo Shutterstock.com

A newborn baby was found abandoned in a church in Rome on Friday afternoon, left in a plastic shopping bag beneath the crucifix near the altar. The child is in good condition and is being cared for in hospital. The alarm was raised at around 16.30 on Friday at the church of San Gregorio Magno, in Piazza Certaldo in the Magliana district, in the Portuense area of the city. A parishioner who had entered to pray heard cries, approached the altar and discovered the baby. The parish priest, Don Giacomo Pavanello, told news outlet Fanpage that CCTV footage showed a hooded person leaving the bag about 20 minutes earlier. He said it was not clear whether the person was a man or a woman, as they were well covered. The baby was naked and wrapped in two blankets, he said, and was calm and appeared to have been fed recently. The priest said the baby was moved to a warm room in the parish and kept there until medical help arrived. Carabinieri and an ambulance were called. Emergency services personnel treated the baby at the scene before taking him to the San Camillo-Forlanini hospital for tests and care. Initial medical assessments indicated he was born 24 to 48 hours before he was found. Carabinieri are examining the church’s CCTV footage and are collecting recordings from cameras in the surrounding area in a bid to trace the person’s route to and from the church. The parish has named the baby Gregorio, after the church’s patron saint. Don Giacomo said the community was shaken but glad the child was well, adding that the parish also felt for the baby's mother. “We cannot close our eyes to the drama of a woman who was unable to keep her child,” he said. Photo Shutterstock.com