Italian model behind Rome's 'hot priest' calendar admits: 'It was a joke'

A black-and-white “sexy priest” calendar featuring young, handsome men in clerical collars and church settings remains a bestselling souvenir in Italy. The product has been branded a “fake priest” calendar after it continued to feature models who are not men of God, with prior accusations that some never attended seminary. Despite the controversy, the calendar sells several thousand copies per year, including around €8 in shops near the Vatican and in central Rome. Giovanni Galizia has appeared on the cover for many editions and describes the experience as a joke that became a compliment. The photographer behind the calendar says the intention is to give a profile to priests and claims that at least a third of the pictured men are priests.

"It is one of Italy's bestselling souvenirs: a "sexy priest" calendar featuring close-ups of young, handsome men with dog collars and saintly smiles. But the black-and-white memento has been branded the "fake priest" calendar after continuing to feature models who are not men of God. The calendar has previously been accused of using men who have never stepped foot in a seminary to pose as priests, but that has not stopped its popularity."

"Giovanni Galizia (39) has been the cover star for many of the last 23 editions, which sells several thousand copies a year. In the image, Mr Galizia wears a black robe, white clerical collar and flashes an enigmatic smile worthy of the Mona Lisa against the granite wall of a church in his hometown of Palermo, Sicily. He said this week: "It was the smile of an embarrassed kid, because I saw all my friends in front of me laughing out loud because I was dressed like I was a priest.""

"Now a flight attendant for a Spanish airline, Mr Galizia was 17 when friends put him in touch with photographer Piero Pazzi to audition for the calendar. When he was first asked to pose, he said: "It was a joke." Mr Pazzi has also created a calendar featuring Venetian gondoliers and founded museums in Budapest and Montenegro on the history of cats. He claimed at least a third of those pictured in the already-released 2027 version were actually priests."

"The calendar sells for around €8 in shops surrounding the Vatican, as well as in the crowded streets in Rome's historic centre. Mr Pazzi previously told Il Post, an Italian newspaper: "It's true, they are not all They are not all priests, but the intention was to give a profile to priests""

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