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Pressured Priest: We'll Have Nun of Catwalks

'Miss Sister' beauty contest canceled

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 27, 2008 4:28 AM CDT

(Newser) – An Italian priest's plans for a nun beauty pageant have been nixed by his higher-ups, the BBC reports. Father Antonio Rungi, who said the idea was to highlight the inner beauty of nuns and smash stereotypes of the sisters as old and dour, decided to draw a veil over the idea after the local bishop and other church officials expressed their displeasure.

"My superiors were not happy. The local bishop was not happy," said Rungi, who insists his aim was misunderstood. "Nuns are, above all, women, and beauty is a gift from God."

[Images (3)]

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Nuns take pictures as Pope Benedict XVI passes by in this file photo. (Getty Images)

Some nuns react as Pope Benedict XVI (not seen) arrives in the Paul VI hall to attend the weekly general audience at the Vatican Wednesday, July 2, 2008. . (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Scarfs with the portrait of the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ Celine Borzecka are worn by a priest and nuns inside Rome's St. John Basilica. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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My superiors were not happy. The local bishop was not happy, but they did not understand me either. - Father Antonio Rungi

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Pressured Priest: We'll Have Nun of Catwalks