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yesterday

Vatican Hosts Over 1,000 'Hot Priests' in Rome to Expand Social Media Outreach

The Vatican aims to harness clergy influencers’ massive online platforms to reconnect with Gen Z and counter decades of declining attendance.

Priests wait near St. Peter's Basilica, on the second day of the conclave to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
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Priests
More than 1,000 priests and friars have been invited to Rome amid declining congregation numbers worldwide.

Overview

  • More than 1,000 priests and friars gathered in Rome this week for a Vatican summit on clergy-led social media outreach.
  • Participants included bodybuilding priest Father Giuseppe Fusari, Italy’s “most beloved” Father Cosimo Schena and guitar-playing Father Ambrogio Mazza, who collectively command over half a million followers on Instagram and TikTok.
  • Anglican Reverend Chris Lee joined the meeting, signaling a broader shift toward influencer-driven faith communication across denominations.
  • Pope Leo XIV built on Pope Francis’s digital legacy by convening the summit and leveraging his nearly 19 million followers on X to model modern evangelism.
  • Recent polls by the Bible Society and YouGov show church attendance among 18- to 24-year-olds rising, underscoring the summit’s focus on engaging younger worshippers online.