Orthodox priests pose with cats on Russian calendar

MOSCOW, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Twelve Orthodox Russian priests posed with cats for a calendar for sale.

The calendar, titled "Priest and Cats", sought to combine elements of popular Italian calendars Calendario Romano and Gatti di Roma, which feature good-looking Roman priests and cats, respectively.

"It was a grass-roots initiative, pure creativity," creator Xenia Loutchenko told NBC News. "We did not expect such a reaction."

The cats featured on the calendar, which has garnered significant media coverage in Russia and worldwide, are all owned by the priests they are photographed with.

"It's all their own cats -- nothing was staged. It was whoever had a cat and was ready to pose for a photo," Loutchenko said, according to RT.

Despite their involvement, some of the priests don't back the idea of the calendar entirely.

"I wouldn't hang it on my wall," said Vsevolod Chaplin, who also admitted that the calendar was "no great sin."