For twenty years, a popular Rome souvenir depicting close-ups of young, attractive men in priestly attire has adorned many walls, but it has now come to light that most of these figures are not actually clergy. <\/p>\n
The long-standing cover model, Giovanni Galizia, whose enigmatic smile has adorned the so-called “sexy\u00a0priest\u00a0calendar” for many of its 23 editions, is among those who never took holy orders. Galizia, now a 39-year-old flight attendant for a Spanish airline, was just 17 when he posed for the photograph, News.Az<\/a> reports, citing The Independent.<\/a><\/p>\n He recalled the shoot as a “lark,” telling\u00a0The Associated Press: “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.”<\/p>\n The image, showing him in a clerical collar against a granite church wall in his native Palermo, has been recycled year after year. This week, a story in the Rome daily\u00a0La Repubblica\u00a0brought nationwide attention to the calendar, revealing it could be more accurately dubbed “the fake priest calendar.”<\/p>\n The\u00a0Vatican\u00a0has declined to comment on the matter, as the calendar is not affiliated with the Holy See.<\/p>\n Officially named Calendario Romano, each edition showcases 12 black-and-white portraits of men, mostly in clerical attire. Photographer Piero Pazzi, who also creates a calendar of Venetian gondoliers, was behind the lens.<\/p>\n Galizia confirmed he only knew one other subject in the calendar, a French man, who was also not a priest. Pazzi, however, said that at least one-third of the models in the already released 2027 calendar are indeed priests, though he offered no further details.<\/p>\n Despite his widespread image, Galizia says he has never been recognised on the street, though his cousins once gifted the calendar to their grandmother, “and they all died laughing.”<\/p>\n Both Galizia and Pazzi insist the calendar was intended as art, not deception. Galizia draws a parallel to actors playing priests in TV dramas, noting that no one assumes they are actual clergy.<\/p>\n He explained: “Of course, it winks a bit at the dynamic between the sacred and the profane, because it is clear that seeing a world that is distant and in some ways so lofty as the ecclesiastical world, with such a fresh-faced young man, creates a kind of dissonance.”<\/p>\n He expressed bewilderment at the “sexy” interpretation of the black-and-white close-ups, a sentiment echoed by Pazzi.<\/p>\n “There\u2019s a tendency to confuse what is beautiful with what is sensual, because nowadays, especially in today\u2019s world, which is quite sexualized, beauty is expressed only through sensuality,” Galizia mused, adding: “That said, I appreciate the observation and take it as a compliment \u2014 because managing to be sexy in a priest\u2019s collar is no small feat.”<\/p>\n Pazzi estimates several thousand copies of the Roman calendar are sold annually, though he wouldn’t disclose exact figures. While Pazzi receives royalties, Galizia, who signed a release form at the time of the photo shoot, has never sought payment. The calendar retails for around 8 euros in shops surrounding the Vatican and throughout Rome\u2019s historic centre, with one shop clerk, Hassam Mohammad, reporting sales of a handful daily.<\/p>\n Despite its unofficial nature, the calendar has found an unexpected advocate in Father Domenico, a South Korean priest. Walking near the Vatican, he noted the calendar’s popularity in his home country, particularly among young people who view it with humour.<\/p>\n “They often think priests are stiff and distant,” Father Domenico said. “But looking at this calendar, they think priests are more familiar, and priests can be funny. I think in Korea this calendar is very famous, and it is OK.”<\/p>\n