ROME – An Italian priest and theologian said Sunday he is organizing an online beauty pageant for nuns to give them more visibility within the Catholic Church and to fight the stereotype that they are all old and dour.

The “Miss Sister 2008” contest will start in September on a blog run by the Rev. Antonio Rungi and will give nuns from around the world a chance to showcase their work and their image.

“Nuns are a bit excluded, they are a bit marginalized in ecclesiastical life,” Rungi told The Associated Press after Italian media carried reports of the idea. “This will be an occasion to make their contribution more visible.”

Nuns will fill out a profile including information about their life and vocation as well as a photograph.

The contest drew criticism from the association of Catholic teachers.

“It’s an initiative that belittles the role of nuns who have dedicated themselves to God,” the group’s president, Alberto Giannino, told Italy’s ANSA news agency.

Dynamite sale: Explosives found at Ark. estate auction

MAYFLOWER, Ark. – Auctioneers preparing for an estate sale Saturday morning made a discovery among the china and other items up for bid – a suitcase full of military-grade explosive.

Auctioneers opened the suitcase just before the sale and found three blocks of military-grade C-4 plastic explosive, two tubes of a similar plastic explosive, a blasting cap and some dynamite.

Workers quickly called 911 and the Conway Fire Department’s bomb squad collected the materials. The auction went on as planned.

Faulkner County sheriff’s office Maj. Andy Shock said the explosives had deteriorated over time and likely were at least 15 years old. He said some of the items at the estate sale belonged to a U.S. Navy veteran who recently died.