Ms Harding criticized father Rungi ('objectification'); predictably, so did many other Catholics. All in all, it wasn't a big deal; just an idea that didn't work. But still, if it had, I'd say something interesting was happening in the Catholic church. Since it didn't... it's all the same as before. Not a big deal, but still a pity.

The superior is probably still shaking his-her head about why Father Rungi is in an organization that forced him to sublimate his sexual urge into a beauty contest.

Agreed! A voluntary beauty contest for hot Brazilian nuns is, by far, the least harmful way for priests to deal with their sexual feelings. This should be encouraged.

Now I'm going to go find a way to cope with the guilt over my impure thoughts about hot Brazilian nuns.

So, Tracy, I guess the choice of Muslim women to cover themselves up is religious freedom and worthy of respect, but it's okay to make cheap jokes about the choice of Catholic women to take the veil? How very feminist of you.

uh, the burqini wasn't meant to be a joke about Muslim fashion? follow the link and save your humorless, spittle-laced outrage for some other perceived slight to your Christian sensibilities.

Dear Miss Clark-Flory,

How shall we start this?

Some points regarding this latest piece of yours:

1. I've got the Reuters article (the only source you cited) sitting right in front of me. At no point WHATOSEVER in the article does Father Rungi claim that his beauty pageant plans were "deliberately misinterpreted".

It would be convenient for your premise if he had done so. Obviously, then you could accuse him of trying to "play the victim". However, he DIDN'T say what you claim (in your HEADLINE) he said.

Perhaps this remark is quoted in some other article ? Well, then you need to cite the source for that quotation. Once again....you're at best an enterprisingly sloppy journalist or, at worst, just lying to suit your sophomoric attempt to construct some sort of "paternalistic" narrative where one doesn't necessarily exist. In either case...this wouldn't pass the standards of a 9th grade journalism class.

In any case...yet another inflammatory, utterly unsubstantiated, and absurd headline from Broadsheet. and, yes, we all know by now that you're blogging as fast as you can.

2. Still?....

I noticed that you italicized/emphasized the word "his" in your final paragraph. If he had actually ever used a possessive pronoun in regard to the pageant, then you might very well make some hay.....justifiably characterizing him as a possessive, patriarchally-controlling egomaniac, etc....as though he were the head of a company and referred to female employees as "my girls"?

However, and insofar as I can gather, he HASN'T ever employed a possessive pronoun in regard to the pageant. Do you just make this shit up? Rather obviously so...but, then, you wouldn't have a story if you didn't make one up.

3. Finally?...I've read the Reuters article. He sounds like a decent, utterly well-intentioned man who has nothing but respect (from what I've read of his comments, as provided by your link) for nuns and their CHOSEN (isn't that supposed to be a feminist watchword?) vocation . He also does seem somewhat naive.. to the degree that he doesn't seem to have anticipated the reaction from....folks like you? One can safely assume that conservative Catholics (rather surprisingly like you...but then, self-serving politics does make for strange bedfellows) would also have attacked the project.

I haven't any doubt that his superiors were aware of this potential outcome, and thus advised him to cancel the entire project. Bishops are seldom-if-ever unworldly people, although priests and nuns might occasionally be so.

that said?...I wonder why you close your nasty little, ill-informed, misleading,snarky article by casting aspersions on his sincerity in stating that he'd intended the contest to be one which incorporated a "complete" look at the contestants.

Why? do, please, answer that question...or do you just sit around being nasty and snarky...and making things up as you go?

Insofar as I can gather, the nuns would have participated of their own free will, in a "contest" that existed entirely online. The "winners" would have been chosen by other nuns (that's made pretty clear in the Reuters article you cite). I haven't read anything which would indicate that anything other than a head-shot would have been incorporated in the "contest".

YOU'RE the one who starts tittering about "habitinis" (forgive me for assuming that Comedy Central isn't going to be actively recruiting you anytime soon on account of your rapier wit...).

All in all, your article was a depressingly stupid, unprofessional, self-congratulatory, "misleading" (nice word for lying about someone else) piece.

I know..."Broadsheet" is supposed to be a "wry", refreshingly sprezzatura "blogging" take on whatever strikes the writer's fancy....

That said, I think you could try writing something that would stand a chance of being published anywhere else.

There are plenty of smart (and genuinely funny) female writers out there who could be writing for Salon (and, yes, I pay for this publication)....and my guess is that there are a number of them who could write smart, wry articles on feminist topics without resorting to making shit up to achieve some sort of effect.

Do, please, reply publicly to this letter, particularly in regard to your habit (this article wouldn't be the first example) of quoting phrases which, as it turns out, are nowhere to be found?

And, yes, I know.....this "blogging" was not exactly a dissertation research project. Still?...I, if no one else, would appreciate your substantiating your claims and implications when you cast aspersions on someone who happens to be a real person in this world. I don't think that's too much to ask of someone who wants to be a journalist

Quite sincerely,

Looks like the article the OP was quoting from was from the Times Online:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4618085.ece

So she linked to the wrong article. It happens. Hey, buddy, get out of your mother's basement and go play in the fresh air, and stop spamming this blog with whiny, pointless, bizarro screeds, kay?