The face of Christianity is changing as a slew of handsome, fit priests are drawing new fans – and believers – over social media.
Men of the cloth usually have a reputation for being serious and severe, with looks being the very last thing they would be worried about.
But that’s changing thanks to a new wave of ‘priestfluencers’ who are using social media to spread the Good News, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that fans are finding them easy on the eyes.
Religious leaders like Cosimo Schena, an Italian priest with a whopping 455,000 followers on Instagram, are reaching non-believers and devoted faithfuls alike with their social media content.
Posts range in tone – from sermon-style videos to cheerful selfies, snaps with puppies and candid photos in church.
In one of his latest uploads, he encourages supporters: ‘When you feel transparent in the eyes of world, remember: God sees your every tear hidden, every gesture of love not reciprocated, every exhausting breath of breath.
‘Your life is of infinite value in His eyes, You are never invisible to the ones who love you!’
It’s accompanies by a piece to camera – interlaced with glossily edited stock footage – of Cosimo getting his message across.
Another European influencer, Father Giuseppe Fusari from Brescia, has more than 60,000 followers on the platform and is sometimes known as the ‘bodybuilder priest’.
He looks drastically different to the generic idea of what one may envisage, as he has numerous tattoos covering his large biceps, which he often shows off under short sleeve shirts.
In a similar ilk, Don Ambrogio Mazzai – based in Verona – too has 105,000 followers on Instagram.
Similar to his brethren, ‘work’ shots and videos of Biblical teachings are immersed with more ‘hot’ selfies, photos wearing leather jackets, playing guitar and cycling.
And it’s not just Catholicism that the trend pertains to – Anglican Reverend Chris Lee, who has been dubbed ‘the hot priest’ – who with 162,000 followers under his arm has been spreading the message of faith.
The idea of ‘hot priests’ became especially popular after Fleabag, the highly popular 2016 TV series created by Phoebe Waller-Bridges, featured a plot line in which her character falls in love with a good-looking man of the cloth (played by Andrew Scott).
He was known simply as ‘hot priest’ and became a phenomenon of its own accord, resulting in countless memes and videos of women posting about ‘thirsting’ after the character.
The trope has also given rise to the trend of seeking out handsome religious leaders and posting about them on social media, as seen on TikTok.
In a similar ilk, Don Ambrogio Mazzai – based in Verona – too has 105,000 followers on Instagram
Religious leaders like Cosimo Schena, an Italian priest with a whopping 455,000 followers on Instagram, are reaching non-believers and devoted faithfuls alike with their social media content
And it’s not just Catholicism that the trend pertains to – Anglican Reverend Chris Lee, who has been dubbed ‘the hot priest’ – who with 162,000 followers under his arm has been spreading the message of faith
The idea of ‘hot priests’ became especially popular after Fleabag, the highly popular 2016 TV series created by Phoebe Waller-Bridges, featured a plot line in which her character falls in love with a good-looking man of the cloth (played by Andrew Scott)
The increase in social media-savvy priests and religious influencers comes as the number of people who go to church regularly has steadily declined in recent years.
In the 2021 Census for England and Wales, released by the Office for National Statistics, the Christian population fell below 50 per cent for the first time, making it a minority religion.
But according to recent surveys by the Bible Society and YouGov, church attendance is climbing again, with young people in Roman Catholic communities leading the return to the pulpit.
Those aged between 18 to 24 years old have shown a dramatic increase in interest when it comes to churchgoing, rising from just four per cent in 2018 to 16 per cent in 2024, according to the Bible Society’s polling.
The rise of priests and other religious leaders spreading the faith through social media is clearly important to the Vatican, as Rome will play host to a thousand digital missionaries and influencers from all over the world next week.
According to The Telegraph, the meeting is being held to discuss the role of social media in the church and will take place on July 28 and 29 as part of the Vatican’s jubilee year.
All forms of social media, including TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, and even apps and blogs, will be discussed in order to reach even more people and boost church attendance numbers.
The late Pope Francis, who died in April this year, recognised the importance of the internet as a means of communicating with the masses and a valuable resource to the church.
His own social media account on X, formerly Twitter, drew more than 18 million followers.
In a message in 2019 for World Day of Social Communications, Pope Francis said that social networks ‘help us to better connect, rediscover, and assist one another’.
His predecessor, Pope Leo XIV, also has more than 18 million followers on the platform, as well as 14 million followers on Instagram, and his videos regularly gain tens of thousands of views and likes.
