Italian priest cancels nun beauty contest

MONDRAGONE, Italy, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A Mondragone, Italy, priest said he has canceled plans for a nun beauty contest after religious leaders objected to his idea.

Father Antonio Rungi said the contest, which he described as an attempt to dispel the stereotype of all nuns being old and unpleasant looking, will not appear on his blog as planned next month due to objections from local Catholic leaders, The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.

"My superiors were not happy," Rungi said of the church's reaction to his plan to post pictures and descriptions of each contestant on his blog.

"The local bishop was not happy, but they did not understand me either," he said.

"It was interpreted as more of a physical thing," he said. "Now, no one is saying that nuns can't be beautiful, but I was thinking about something more complete."

Rungi said the contest was also aimed at highlighting the good works done by the contestants, especially in education and health care, to give a more complete picture of a nun's inner beauty.

"We have to draw more attention to the world of nuns, who are often not sufficiently appreciated by society," Rungi wrote in his blog. "Nuns are -- above all -- women, and beauty is a gift from God."