Nuns participating in a beauty contest?

An Italian priest wanted to break the taboo that nuns are only old and unattractive virgins.

Italian priest Antonio Rungi came up with the idea of a beauty contest for nuns, but the public got the wrong impression about the project. Father Rungi never intended to put nuns on the catwalk. With the project, he just wanted to break down the stereotype that nuns are only old and unattractive virgins.

The priest who wanted to organise a beauty contest had no intention of putting nuns on the catwalk. Instead, his idea was to hold contest online with photo material. (jlp)

The contest he imagined would be held on his Internet blog, but then father Rungi changed his mind because his colleagues did not agree with his idea.

“My superiors were not happy. The local bishop was not happy, but they did not understand me either,” said father Rungi. “It was interpreted as more of a physical thing. Now, no one is saying that nuns can’t be beautiful, but I was thinking about something more complete.”

Church was not happy about the idea of a beauty contest for nuns. (jlp)

The priest intended with the contest to show the good works that nuns do, particularly in education and health care. He also wanted to boost interest in religious vocations.

“We have to draw more attention to the world of nuns, who are often not sufficiently appreciated by,” he wrote in his blog.

The idea of the contest had been put to the priest by nuns themselves. (jlp)

“Nuns are - above all - women, and beauty is a gift from God,”  he told one of the Italian newspapers before he cancelled the contest.

According to the priest, the idea of the contest had been put to him by nuns themselves by sending him their photos, so that internet users could then choose the winner.