RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- A three-day sex party just steps away from Rio
                 de Janeiro's famous tropical beaches has been canceled at the request of
                 Brazil's Catholic Church, party organizers said Saturday.

                 Alice Oliveira, a spokeswoman for Brazil's Hedonist Club, said: "The Catholic
                 Church filed a complaint with the city government and it was c anceled.

                 The party had been scheduled for a large sauna and brothel complex called Venus
                 Prateada (Silver Venus) in the beachside Rio suburb of Recreio. Prostitution is legal
                 in Brazil.

                 Oliveira said the city government shut down the event because Venus Prateada
                 lacked a license to operate but that the Hedonist Club had all the right paperwork to
                 throw the party.

                 She added that the party will still go ahead but at a different, bigger venue.

                 "We were expecting 1,500 people per day for this weekend's party," Oliveira said.
                 "But since it's been in all the Brazilian media, the demand for tickets has increased
                 by a lot. So we don't even know how many people we'll have."

                 Organizers said the proportion of men and women at the party was being controlled
                 via ticket sales to keep a relative parity.