Holy deception: Rome's 'sexy priest' calendar star never set foot in a seminary

ROME (AP) — A calendar featuring close-ups of young, handsome men in priestly attire has been a perennial Rome souvenir for the last two decades — but few, it seems, are actually men of the cloth.

Giovanni Galizia has been the cover shot for the so-called sexy priest calendar for many of the last 23 editions. In the same photo used year after year, Galizia wears a clerical collar and flashes an enigmatic smile worthy of the Mona Lisa against the granite wall of a church in his native Palermo.

“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,” Galizia told The Associated Press during an interview Wednesday in his Verona living room.

For Galizia, the shoot was a lark that left no mark on his life, until a story in the Rome daily La Repubblica this week revealed that the “sexy priest calendar” could be more accurately called “the fake priest calendar,” drawing nationwide attention.

The calendar is not affiliated with the Vatican, which declined to comment.

Now a 39-year-old flight attendant for a Spanish airline, Galizia was just 17 years old when mutual friends put him in touch with photographer Piero Pazzi, who has also created a calendar featuring Venetian gondoliers and has founded museums in Budapest and Montenegro on the history of cats.

Officially named Calendario Romano, each edition features 12 black-and-white portraits of men mostly in clerical attire — many of which are recycled year after year. Galizia only knew one of the other subjects, a French man who also was not a priest.

Pazzi told the AP that at least one-third of those pictured in the already released 2027 calendar are actually priests but provided no details.

Galizia said he has never been stopped on the street, though his cousins once gave the calendar to their grandmother as a gift, “and they all died laughing.”

Galizia sees the photographs depicting priests as part of an artistic tradition, noting that no one watching a TV drama involving priests believes they are actually played by clergy.

“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,” he said.

But he also said he doesn't understand why the black-and-white close-ups have been interpreted as sexy. Pazzi also said that was not the point.

“There’s a tendency to confuse what is beautiful with what is sensual, because nowadays, especially in today’s world, which is quite sexualized, beauty is expressed only through sensuality,” Galizia said.

“That said, I appreciate the observation and take it as a compliment — because managing to be sexy in a priest’s collar is no small feat.”

Pazzi won’t say how many of the Roman calendars have been sold — but estimates several thousand a year. While Pazzi says he receives royalties, Galizia, who signed a release form when the photo was taken, said he has never sought payment.

The calendar sells for around 8 euros (around $9.30) in shops that surround the Vatican and crowd Rome’s historic center. One shop clerk, Hassam Mohammad, said he sells a handful of them every day.

Pazzi includes a page of information about the Vatican in the calendar, but its production is independent and unrelated to the Holy See.

A priest from South Korea walking near the Vatican this week said that the calendar is well known in his home country, especially among young people who view the calendar with humor.

“They often think priests are stiff and distant,” said the priest, who identified himself informally as Father Domenico. “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.”

Barry reported from Verona, Italy. Giada Zampano in Rome and Nicole Winfield in Vatican City contributed.

The 'Calendario Romano' calendar, bearing a photo of Giovanni Galizia, who is not a priest, is on sale in a souvenir shop in Rome, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Giovanni Galizia speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his home in Verona, Italy, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

The 'Calendario Romano' calendar, bearing a photo of Giovanni Galizia, who is not a priest, is on sale in a souvenir shop in Rome, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The 'Calendario Romano' calendar, bearing a photo of Giovanni Galizia, who is not a priest, is on sale in a souvenir shop in Rome, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Giovanni Galizia poses with the 'Calendario Romano' calendar that has for two decades been a bestseller in Rome’s souvenir shops, at his home in Verona, Italy, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is having a difficult week.

Crow-Armstrong made an ugly defensive mistake for the second straight day on Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers. He also had a heated exchange with a fan during Sunday's 9-8 loss to the crosstown Chicago White Sox.

Milwaukee had runners on first and second with one out in the second inning of the series finale when David Hamilton hit a liner up the middle. The ball went under Crow-Armstrong's glove and rolled toward the warning track.

Hamilton picked up speed as he rounded first and scored with a headfirst slide, giving the Brewers a 3-0 lead. It was ruled a single for Hamilton and Crow-Armstrong's third error of the season.

Crow-Armstrong also dropped Sal Frelick's leadoff flyball in the fourth during Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Brewers. Frelick advanced on Hamilton's single, but was stranded when Ben Brown wiggled out of the jam.

The 24-year-old Crow-Armstrong is widely regarded as one of baseball's best defensive outfielders. He won his first Gold Glove last year.

He was playing center on Sunday against the White Sox when he was heckled by a woman after he came up empty on an attempt for a leaping catch. He responded with a vulgar message punctuated by an expletive.

Crow-Armstrong said Monday he regretted his choice of words during the exchange with the fan. He was fined by Major League Baseball, according to a person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the punishment wasn't announced by the league.

“I’m just bummed out about the word choice, and that a bunch of little kids go and probably find their way to social media and see that as well,” he said.

Crow-Armstrong is one of Chicago’s biggest stars after hitting .247 with a career-high 31 homers and 95 RBIs last season. He agreed to a $115 million, six-year contract in March.

He struck out in each of his first two at-bats Wednesday night. He was batting .229 with five homers, 20 RBIs and 12 steals in 49 games coming into the day.

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Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong reacts after flying out to Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)