- Over 1,000 young priests with strong online followings were invited to Rome this week
- Father Ambrogio Mazzai has over 105,000 Instagram followers sharing his daily life
- Father Cosimo Schena has 457,000 followers and posts spiritual messages online
The Vatican City is turning to social media-savvy "hot priests" to draw younger generations back to the church. As part of this push, over 1,000 young priests and friars with strong online followings were invited to Rome this week.
Among them is Father Ambrogio Mazzai, who has over 105,000 followers on Instagram. He regularly shares glimpses of his life doing fun activities such as playing guitar or biking in the mountains.
Then comes Father Cosimo Schena, whose Instagram feed resembles that of a fitness influencer. He boasts over 457,000 followers and shares spiritual messages through an engaging online persona.
Also attending is Father Giuseppe Fusari, a 58-year-old priest from Brescia and a bodybuilder with more than 63K Instagram followers. Known for posting pictures of his tattooed biceps along with spiritual reflections. Social media, in his opinion, is an effective instrument "to bring people closer to the Church."
He told The Telegraph, "I hope it will bring people closer to the church; there is a lot of curiosity and I am convinced that social media is one way to attract people."
Even though there are ancient Gospels, if you want to reach people today, especially the younger generation, you have to come up with modern ways, like social media.
Pope Leo XIV realises the importance of using modern technology to communicate with people. He has 14 million followers on X, where he regularly shares messages of peace and faith
About 1,000 digital missionaries and influencers, including Priests, nuns and other Church members who have strong social media presence, were invited to Rome this week as part of the Vatican's Jubilee Year. They discussed the ways to use social media to spread religious messages by attracting the younger generation.
This is not the first time the Church has used aesthetics in order to get people's attention and spread its message. Earlier in 2022, there was a calendar featuring hot Roman priests. This grabbed headlines, leading to the sale of more than 75,000 copies every year, according to The NY Post.
