Update: Priest Cancels Beauty Contest For Nuns

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A couple of days ago I criticized a Roman Catholic priest for organizing a beauty contest for nuns. This is an excerpt from an Associated Press article announcing the contest:

"An Italian priest and theologian said Sunday he is organizing an online beauty pageant for nuns to give them more visibility within the Catholic Church and to fight the stereotype that they are all old and dour." Associated Press

Father Antonio Rungi has come to his senses and canceled the beauty contest:

"An Italian priest who had planned an online 'pageant' for nuns has suspended the project, saying he was misinterpreted and had no intention of putting sisters on a beauty catwalk." Reuters

If Father Rungi had organized a beauty contest for priests, the Vatican would immediately have threatened him with excommunication. The Roman Catholic hierarchy was a little bit slow in denouncing his ridiculous idea.

Even if Father Rungi had no intentions of having nuns strut down the catwalk, it was a grievous mistake to draw attention to the nuns physical beauty instead of their inner spiritual strength.

If the well-meaning but misguided priest wants to improve the lot of religious women in the Catholic Church, he should petition the Vatican to open the priesthood to women.

I'm glad this beauty pageant for nuns will not take place, it would have trivialized the nuns as superficial and vain.

Robert Paul Reyes is a NewsBlaze writer on Politics, Pop Culture and Pointless Pontificating. Contact him by writing to NewsBlaze.

Italian Priest Organizes Beauty Contest for Nuns