When Father Antonio Rungi from Mondragone, Italy (that's him in the photo) announced his intention to hold an online beauty contest for nuns, it seemed quite reasonable. "Nuns are -- above all - women, and beauty is a gift from God," he explained. Sadly, not all members of the clergy are so enlightened, and almost as soon as his plans were revealed to the world the Church rammed them back into the closet. (Rungi quickly canceled the competition, describing his superiors as "not happy.") Still, a good idea is a good idea, so in the spirit of keeping Father Rungi's dream alive here are the five hottest nuns of all time.

David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic

#5. Christa Parra

The Phoenix Fox

Despite being voted "Most Likely to Become a Nun" at Alhambra High School, Parra seemed an unlikely choice to receive the calling (she was a cheerleader with a boyfriend, which the Vatican tends to frown upon), so when she did join the Loreto sisters, it warranted a story in The Arizona Republic, then additional pieces in other area publications. The Phoenix New Times quickly sensed a story in these other stories, noticing that the articles tended to snub other, less physically attractive women just taking their vows and declaring it was "obvious the real hook of the story is this: Parra's a hottie." Hey, it's about time someone stood up to the Catholic Sun and their relentless sensationalism.

#4. Sister Mary Benedict (Ingrid Bergman)

Nun on the Run

With The Bells of St. Mary's, Ingrid Bergman received her third Best Actress Academy Award nomination (she'd already won her first of three Oscars for Gaslight and established herself as one of the screen's legendary sirens with her role opposite Bogie in Casablanca). The tale of a nun and a priest (portrayed by Bing Crosby) trying to save a school was hardly pitched at the devout believers, as posters for the movie made a point of showing the pair in street clothes. Nevertheless, playing a nun did make Bergman seem a wholesome figure, which made the public outcry all the greater when the married mother became pregnant with also married Italian director Roberto Rossellini's child in 1949, leading U.S. Senator Edwin C. Johnson's memorable denunciation of the couple (he referred to Rossellini as a "love pirate"). Bergman left the country and wouldn't return to American good graces until 1957, when she won her second Oscar for Anastasia.

#3. Maya Takigawa (Yumi Takigawa)

Kinky Convents

The 1970s saw a lot of interesting cinematic trends (it was both the arguable Golden Age of Hollywood and the undeniable highpoint for porn), but none can compare with nunsploitation. Consisting of films that allegedly showed the "true" inner workings of convent life (which inevitably involved rampant soft-core girl-on-girl action), it experienced its greatest popularity in Europe -- but Japan created its masterpiece. Superbly directed by Norifumi Suzuki and featuring color designs Douglas Sirk would have applauded, 1974's School of the Holy Beast tells the story of Maya, an adorable young woman who joins a convent to learn the truth behind her mother's suspicious death -- and, during the learning process, undergoes erotic indignities that include being bound with thorns and whipped with rose bush branches while topless -- in a film that is truly bizarre, even by Japanese standards.

#2. Mother Teresa

Calcutta Cutie?

Granted, looks aren't the first thing people think of when it comes to Mother Teresa (there's a tendency to focus on the nearly 70 years she spent ministering to the destitute), but photos prove in her youth she was a genuinely attractive woman. The upcoming movie version of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People clearly recognizes this, and created a trailer for a fake biopic about Mother Theresa, starring Megan Fox. Some may object to the casting, but it's still less ridiculous than Nick Nolte playing our third President in Jefferson in Paris.

#1. Saint Brigid of Ireland

One Hot Hibernian

Born around 450 A.D., Brigid grew up to be a woman so lovely she allegedly prayed to have her beauty taken away so she could protect her virtue. Legend has it God restored her looks only after she'd been ordained a nun (Tara Reid, enter a convent now). Known as the female patron saint of Ireland, she founded the Kildare Abbey and is said to watch over everyone from newborns and midwives to dairymaids and fugitives, so if you're pregnant, from Wisconsin, and on the lam, you know where to turn.

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