anna nobili is no fancy nuns . the 38 - year - old applied to be a lap - dancer , and spent four years working in italian nightclubs . she is now using her ability in a rather different ways - for what she calls " the big step " in a performance on tuesday evening at the holy cross in jerusalem hospital in rome , in front of several papal ayatollah including archbishop alessandro ravasi , head of the vatican ' s cultural department . miss nobili told the itv london office that the transformation from podium pole dancing to nun happened gradually .
Anna Nobili became a nun in 2002.