Unique Beauty Pageant - Miss Sister 2008

The Rev. Antonio Rungi of Naples, Italy, an Italian priest and theologian, announced yesterday that he is organizing an online nun’s beauty pageant called "Miss Sister 2008." He claims that this will give nuns more visibility within the Catholic Church and allow them to squelch the stereotype of nuns being “old and dour.” "Nuns are a bit excluded, they are a bit marginalized in ecclesiastical life," Rungi told reporters when the story broke in Italy. "This will be an occasion to make their contribution more visible." "We are not going to parade nuns in bathing suits," Rungi said, "but being ugly is not a requirement for becoming a nun. External beauty is gift from God, and we mustn't hide it." The Association of Catholic teachers, is opposed to the concept saying "It's an initiative that belittles the role of nuns who have dedicated themselves to God," Association President, Alberto Giannino, told ANSA, the Italian news agency. The contest for "Miss Sister 2008" will begin next month on a blog run by Father Rungi, in Naples, complete with nuns’ photographs and bios. The URL has not yet been disclosed, pending boycotts and injunctions. There has been no comment from the Holy See. (I'm still waiting for that genius programmer to create little boycott icons that you can throw out there to run around the screen on certain web sites carrying signs, flipping the bird, and giving the raspberries.) What hath God wrought? Rungi has not yet suggested that he put his imprimatur on labels of St. Pauli Girl. I blame the whole thing on Whoopi Goldberg and Kathy Najimy. Update - 8/27/08: If you log on to Father Rungi's web site today - http://padreantoniorungi.myblog.it/, you will find that he has been given 1,000 Hail Marys and a “Blog in costruzione” sign, because somebody posted his blog on digg it stating "over 1,000 hot Italian babes."