On this article, I write in regards to the development of Movie star Clergymen. So, I ought to outline phrases earlier than persevering with. After I confer with a Movie star Priest, I don’t imply a priest who occurs to be well-known due to his virtues. As an alternative, I’m referring to a development of well-known monks who’re well-known not simply because they’ve one thing good to say however as a result of they’re marketable as influencers and media figures due to beauty, youthfulness, and different attributes that facilitate viral media content material.
Like most moderns, I spend extra time than I ought to scrolling by means of numerous social media. For me, meaning on the lookout for movies to observe or hearken to on YouTube and issues to learn on Twitter—I nonetheless can’t naturally name it 𝕏. Now, I don’t wish to go to Hell, so I avoid TikTok and different extra absurdly flashy and epilepsy-inducing social platforms. Additionally, I’m below the age of 40 and never a lady, so I don’t use Fb.
A lot of what I watch or learn has to do with the Catholic Religion; and due to that, the “algorithm” recommends issues to me that fall below the umbrella of “Catholic content material.” Among the many hottest Catholic content material is a stream of media that I can solely confer with as “Movie star Priest” media. An increasing number of, I’m seeing on my feeds movies of monks “reacting,” “responding,” or “reviewing” a bunch of issues from the secular tradition, whether or not that be films, social media influencer movies, or stuff coming from the pope, amongst different issues.
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As well as, it’s turning into extra widespread to see monks recording movies of themselves in the identical ways in which Zoomers and undignified millennials do. Forgive me, however I’m a little bit of a Luddite relating to social media tendencies—and I actually despise virtually every little thing that each pop-culture influencer does—so I don’t know what to name the movies. All I do know is that I see monks doing stuff with selfies and bounce cuts of their movies, principally attempting to “Catholicize” the identical rubbish that individuals devour to waste their time.
The development of monks appearing on this method is unhealthy sufficient, however there’s extra to be involved about. Along with the proliferation of those priest influencers—lots of whom have turn out to be strikingly well-known—it’s clear that numerous media groups are behind the monks to assist them promote their content material.
Whereas I personally keep in my lane and merely produce podcasts and written materials, I do know a bit about how advertising and marketing and graphic design work relating to content material manufacturing. It’s clear that skilled groups are producing the thumbnails, filming the movies, and producing the scripts and subjects primarily based on viral development predictors for these monks. What’s most annoying, nonetheless, is that, in lots of circumstances, there’s a clear intention by the producers to market the priest in a method that makes him look extra good-looking or engaging.
After all, some monks are objectively good-looking, and there’s certainly nothing flawed with this. Nonetheless, there’s a distinction between Fr. So-and-So being good-looking and advertising and marketing Fr. So-and-So in a method that accentuates his beauty. What’s the level of this aside from to draw ladies to observe the movies? Advertising groups and social-media graphics creators are nicely conscious that in a sea of thumbnails, a horny picture will garner extra clicks than a not engaging picture. And, they’re nicely conscious that a horny picture of a beautiful man will herald clicks from ladies sucked in by the attraction.
I can not for the lifetime of me see how that would not be sinful.
As well as, it’s not unusual to see probably the most well-known of those monks in exercise settings and even posting photos of themselves flexing in gyms. Personally, I don’t assume anybody ought to submit a picture of himself flexing, and a priest actually mustn’t achieve this; it’s vainglorious, sensual, prideful, and seemingly homosexual.
Now, in addition to probably the most egregious offenders of the Movie star Priest class who do issues like exhibiting off their muscle tissues as if they’re promoting on a courting app, the truth that they’re turning into or have turn out to be bona fide “influencers” in probably the most secular sense of the time period is troubling.
Whereas Catholics have all the time achieved their finest to discover a solution to combine the Religion into the general public sq. and media panorama, it’s also the case that sure methods of doing media ought to merely be off-limits for Catholics. It will be onerous to argue that utilizing TikTok or making some form of fashionable selfie video is intrinsically evil, however it’s fairly straightforward to argue that doing so is lame and cringe and unbecoming of the priestly workplace.
Moreover, these monks who undertake the celeb media life-style turn out to be iconic figures like clerical variations of pop stars, which can’t be good for the priest. I can not think about a world whereby a priest who turns into a media sensation won’t be affected negatively by it. Maybe there could be some exceptions, corresponding to in circumstances the place an immensely virtuous priest merely occurs to “go viral” due to the advantage behind what he says; however this stage of advantage can’t be anticipated in monks who’ve demonstrated the opposite by adopting probably the most narcissistic and useless social media habits. If a priest is already posting footage of himself within the health club or attempting to behave like a super-cool Zoomer e-celebrity, there’s no method that he’ll make it to the tip with out turning into hyped up by his fame.
Additionally, have we discovered nothing from the abuse disaster? It’s usually stated that the abuse disaster was exacerbated by clericalism, whereby a misguided or misplaced reverence and belief of monks facilitated eventualities the place guards have been unduly let down and limits have been crossed. Whereas I agree it is a doable rationalization, I might counsel that maybe the actual difficulty has been that the workplace of the priesthood has been diminished or lowered.
Sure, there have been points with a sure “untouchable” sentiment surrounding the clerical class, however equally or extra so it has been the case that monks have been method too touchable. There’s knowledge in having monks being set aside, no less than to a level, as a result of they’re not regular males and shouldn’t be thought of as such. They’re males set aside who’ve consecrated their lives to proceed the work as monks in eternity within the order of Melchizedek. Yes, there have been issues with a certain “untouchable” sentiment surrounding the clerical class, but equally or more so it has been the case that priests have been way too touchable. Tweet This
The final factor we must always settle for from the priestly class is vulgar secular habits, particularly when it’s a fertile breeding floor for vainness and self-aggrandizement and when the actions happen in blended firm with younger adoring followers who emotionally swoon over Fr. Goodlooking.
There’s extra to be stated, however I’ll finish by saying that the Movie star Priest phenomenon must cease, and it must cease yesterday. No extra silly social media gimmicks; no extra rapping monks; no extra bodybuilding monks; no extra peddling of good-looking priestly headshots to draw viewers; and, please, for the sake of the souls of the poor monks who misunderstand their very own priestly dignity, no extra priest “rock stars” who fill stadiums with adoring followers—the very last thing we’d like are monks with groupies.
