No, this is not a bad joke. An Italian priest is starting the online beauty pageant Miss Sister 2008. Nuns register online and attach a photograph (with or without the traditional veil) to get featured on Rev. Antonio Rungi's blog. And while the Associate of Catholic teachers made a public statement against the site, Rungi feels that there's nothing wrong with the idea at all, despite this picture we found on the web:

We are not going to parade nuns in bathing suits. But being ugly is not a requirement for becoming a nun. External beauty is gift from God, and we mustn't hide it.

While most of us are having a good-hearted chuckle, beware. There are a handful of people—some of whom you may actually know—who are taking the news with great, sweaty anticipation. [CNN]

Send an email to Mark Wilson, the author of this post, at mark@gizmodo.com.