A PRIEST is set to join Italy’s latest series of the reality television show Big Brother, causing fury among Vatican officials, who described it as an insult to the Church.
The unidentified priest, 40, is to appear as a contestant this month, a move that has been strongly condemned by one of Pope John Paul II’s closest advisers.
Cardinal Ersilio Tonini said: "This is completely unacceptable and beyond a joke. It’s a form of challenge on the Church by the programme- makers.
"As for the priest in question, it is irresponsible of him and an insult to his vocation. I strongly urge the priest’s local bishop to intervene at once and stop this spectacle."
Neither the programme nor Cardinal Tonini would identify the priest, but sources on Big Brother said he was "an attractive priest from the south of Italy".
The source added: "He sent in his application form like thousands of others and the producers liked the look of him.
"They were very interested in having him on the show and thought it would make good TV to see how he would interact with the other housemates."
Last night, the Big Brother director, Giovanni Modina, said: "The priest in question came across very well in his screen test. He was very serious and level-headed, and wasn’t the classic Big Brother candidate looking for publicity. He is a very young-at-heart priest."
The 12 housemates are due to be locked in the Big Brother house, in a studio in Rome, this month with a prize of £100,000 up for grabs.
It will be the fourth series of the show. In each edition at least one couple have ended up in bed together.
The show’s presenter, Marco Liorni, said: "I think it’s a great idea. Big Brother is all about the diversity of life, and to have a priest on there would be great for the show."
He added: "It will also open up the programme to more spiritual discussions and there will therefore be a whole new range of topics for them to all talk about."
L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s official newspaper, has labelled the show, which had more than 15 million viewers for its last series, "immoral" and said it was "futile, ambiguous and parasitical".
It added: "The programme is based on empty protagonists that feed a morbid curiosity and transform man into nothing more than merchandise on display on a market stall."