An Italian priest is fed up of nuns being thought of as old and plain – so he is organising a modelling competition to prove many of them are actually good looking.

The reverend is hoping for dozens of applications. Entrants will be allowed to choose whether or not to whip off their traditional veil for the photo shoot, but organiser Reverend Rungi stressed there will be no bathing suits.

“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,” he said.

The Miss Sister 2008 contest will start in September on a blog run by Rev Rungi and will give nuns from around the world a chance to showcase their work and their image. But just as the similar competition Miss World now encourages contestants to have an impressive CV as well as good looks, the nuns will have to fill out a profile including information about their life and vocation to accompany their photograph.

Visitors to the Rev’s site will have a month to “vote for the nun they consider a model”. “Nuns are a bit excluded, they are a bit marginalised in ecclesiastical life,” Rev Rungi said. “This will be an occasion to make their contribution more visible.”