One of the biggest goals of Pope Francis in his brief popedom thus far has been to get the Catholic Church closer to the average person, prompting church officials to “go out into the streets”. Francis’s message resonated with Sister Cristina Scuccia so much that she decided to do Pope Francis one better and take her talents to national television, where she was just crowned winner of Italy’s version of The Voice.

Sister Scuccia won over audiences across the globe with her rendition of “Flashdance … What a Feeling.” At the end of the four-hour-long finale, Scuccia was named the victor over male rocker Giacomo Voli, capturing 62.3 percent of the vote.

Scuccia first caught the attention of the judges on The Voice by singing Alicia Key’s “No One”, prompting Key’s to praise Scuccia’s performance via Twitter:

Now, THAT'S what beautiful, pure energy looks like! Sing it, sister Christina! 😉 https://t.co/yGJnu56dqM

— Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) March 21, 2014

It wasn’t long before the singing nun caught the attention of an entire globe, perhaps due to the cognitive dissonance of seeing one wear a full habit while belting out contemporary pop songs.

Following the announcement of her victory, Sister Scuccia took her 15 minutes of fame to spread the word of Christ.

“My presence here is not up to me, it’s thanks to the man upstairs… I’m not here to start a career but because I want to impart a message.”

The message Scuccia wished to spread? The Lord’s Prayer.

http://t.co/UZHYvtr3tj For when you want a taste of sister act!

— Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) March 21, 2014

Perhaps not surprisingly at all, Sister Scuccia wasn’t always so religious. She admittedly turned away from religion during her teenage years, but found herself committing to Catholicism after auditioning for a role in a musical to play the founder of the Ursuline Order, Saint Angela Merici.

While Scuccia has yet to take her final vows, she plans to keep her commitment to the church, stating that “I will continue to sing wherever the Lord wants.”

For her victory, Sister Scuccia won a recording contract with Universal.

Image via YouTube