Brigham Young University has withheld the diploma of a man who was excommunicated from the Mormon Church after publishing “Men on a Mission,” a calendar of shirtless Mormon missionaries, the Associated Press reported today.

The man, Chad Hardy, told the AP that in June he finished his last four credits at the university, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormon Church is formally known. He then walked across the stage with classmates at graduation.

But in September, Mr. Hardy received a letter from a Brigham Young official stating that a nonacademic hold had been placed on his record. The letter said he might be eligible to receive the degree if he were reinstated as a member of the church in good standing.

Mr. Hardy was excommunicated from the church in July. A church elder told the AP that the calendar had been a factor in that decision.

A Brigham Young spokeswoman told the AP she wouldn’t discuss the specific case, for privacy reasons, but she said that all students “must be in good standing from an academic point of view and from an honor-code point of view.” The university’s behavioral honor code aligns with church teachings.

As for the calendar, a 2009 edition has now been published, along with a disclaimer saying that it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Mormon Church. —Beckie Supiano