I got the news–and that headline (well, the first half)–via RNS, which reported that the beauty contest for religious women that I wrote about the other day has been cancelled.
“My superiors were not happy. The local bishop was not happy, but they did not understand me either,” Father Antonio Rungi told Reuters news agency from the town of Mondragone, near Naples. “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.”
And according to CNS, “Father Rungi said he was shutting down the contest and his blog in order to protect himself and the sisters from further misunderstanding. He said it was a shame that he had to cancel the pageant, because he had already received a great number of applicants.”
Yes, this may seem like small potatoes to you, given everything else that’s gone on. But everybody loved the story (or hated it).
Alas. No contest.