Polish Tennis Star Agnieszka Radwanska Dropped by Catholic Group After Posing Nude in ESPN's Body Issue

Agnieszka Radwanska was one of 21 athletes to appear nude in ESPN’s annual Body Issue. The tennis player’s shots were all of the safe-for-work variety, but they did not sit well with some back in her native Poland.

A Catholic group known as Youth Crusade has reportedly distanced itself from Radwanska because of her so-called “immoral behavior.”

The 24-year-old, who is currently ranked fourth in the WTA, had been an ambassador for the youth group’s campaign entitled, “I’m not ashamed of Jesus.”

The photos — one of which was reprinted on the cover of Wprost, a popular Polish magazine — also drew criticism from a number of Catholic leaders.

“It’s a shame that someone who has declared their love for Jesus is now promoting the mentality of men looking at a woman as a thing rather than a child of God worthy of respect and love,” Father Marek Dziewiecki, a senior Catholic priest, told The Telegraph. “If she meets a man who she can truly love and establish a happy family and raise Catholic children, then she would probably have to hide these pictures from relatives.”

Tomasz Terlikowski, whom the Wall Street Journal describes as a “prominent Catholic commentator,” reportedly wrote on his website that he “hadn’t seen the photos but [believes] a woman’s nudity should be reserved for her husband.”

Radwanska, who lost in the semifinals at Wimbledon earlier this month, has yet to comment on the backlash.

Photo via Twitter/@ESPNMag