The judges on "The Voice of Italy" were delighted by a singer's voice during a blind audition, but were absolutely stunned when they turned around to find that the singer was a nun.

Sister Cristina Scuccia, 25, from Sicily in southern Italy, performed the Alicia Keys song "No One" on Wednesday night.

After hearing a few bars of the song, all of the judges decided to push their buttons to turn around and fight to have the singer on their team. When they turned around, they were shocked to see a young nun belting out the pop hit.

The nun continued her performance until the end while being cheered on by three fellow nuns backstage.

After the performance, judge Raffaella Carrà asked her: "How did you end up on The Voice?"

"I have a gift and I'm giving it to you," she replied.

"If I had found you at mass I would always be in church," joked another judge, the Italian rapper known as J-Ax. "You and me are like the devil and holy water."

When she was asked what the Vatican would think of her performance, the nun replied, "I hope that Pope Francis will call me now."

Viewers were also impressed by the performance, and said that it helps bring the Catholic Church "closer to the people."

Viewer Maurizio Rossi came across the show because his son was watching it. "I thought she was strongest contestant of the lot," he told The Local.

"I liked the song she sang and she sang it very well. It's 2014, why shouldn't a nun take part in such a contest? If she likes to sing and it makes her feel good, then good for her," he continued.

Giovanni, a man who runs a newspaper stand in Rome, said a nun taking part in the contest is "not something absurd," and that it shows the Catholic Church isn't so "closed."

"I think it's really nice," he said. "And it shows an affection and closeness to the people."

Giuseppe Palozzi, who works in a furniture shop in Rome, agreed with Giovanni. "I think this reflects that the Church is not as rigid as it was before - maybe Pope Francis is helping it to be more open."

Twitter is also astir with the hashtag #suorcristina.

Watch the video of Sister Cristina's stunning performance below.