posted on April 23, 2003 09:14:08 AM new
ROME (Reuters) - Twelve young priests have raised eyebrows in Italy by joining the ranks of housewives and porn stars in posing for a glossy calendar -- albeit somberly dressed in long, dark robes and broad-rimmed, traditional hats.
The priests featured in "Calendario Romano 2004," which aims to promote tourism in the Italian capital, are photographed standing in front of famous Rome landmarks.
"I usually photograph gondoliers for Venetian calendars, but this time I wanted to do something Roman, and what better than priests?" the photographer Piero Pazzi said of his work, which is not an official Vatican publication.
Critics have said the pictures are inappropriate because people will inevitably compare the priests to the naked pin-ups commonly associated with Italian calendars. They also complain that profits are not going to charity.
December's picture is of a swarthy priest with a goatee beard and curly hair in Piazza Venezia while March depicts an angelic-looking seminarian in a procession.
"The priests are young and good looking, but that doesn't make them sex symbols. That depends on the imagination of the viewer," Pazzi said.
posted on April 23, 2003 01:20:11 PM new
Funny story on that ...
My sister's best friend through childhood was Roman Catholic, and my sister went to church with her occasionally because it was a lot fancier than our Baptist service.
A few months after they got a new priest, my sister decided to visit. When the priest walked in, she whispered to Kate (her friend) "Your priest is a real hunk!" You know how it is when things suddenly get very quiet and you're the only one talking? Unfortunately, it was a small church and my sister was never all that good at whispering.
I met him a few years later when we both served on a community board. He is a hunk, but it would be somewhat unnerving to see him on a calendar.
