Pope Leo XIV is chastising priests for turning their calling into social media stardom.
During a meeting with priests of the Diocese of Rome, the Chicago-born pontiff told his clergymen not to fall for the trap of TikTok and other social media apps, and warned them not to conflate online popularity with real life, Vatican News reported.
He said that gaining “likes” and “followers” through “an illusion on the internet, on TikTok,” is not the same as being rooted in the real world.
“If we are not transmitting the message of Jesus Christ, perhaps we are mistaken, and we must reflect very carefully and humbly about who we are and what we are doing,” Pope Leo XIV said on Friday.
The pope’s comments come as rates of Catholicism have stabilized among Americans after a long period of decline, according to data from the Pew Research Center. Many Catholics point to so-called “celebrity priests”—spiritual leaders who have gained immense followings on social media—as part of the reason why.
Catholic priest influencer Father David Michael, for example, counts more than 1.2 million followers on Instagram, where he routinely posts comedic videos about his life as a priest and answers questions about the Catholic Church.
The pontiff, however, doesn’t seem to be all that amused. He had details of his personal life plastered on the internet after he was chosen as pope last year—particularly by his eldest brother, 74-year-old Louis Prevost, a self-described “MAGA type.”
Prevost gained notoriety for his Facebook reposts, which include a video of Rep. Nancy Pelosi from 1996 with the caption, “These f---ing liberals crying about tariffs is just unreal. Do they not know that there is a thing called video? Just listen to what this drunk c--t has to say in the mid90’s long before her husband had grindr dates.”
The pope’s brother also reshared a meme showing a mental institution with the caption, “Where the woke lived before the ’70s,” and a post invoking the power of prayer to insult Democrats with the caption, “Please pray for the 33% who approve of Biden, that they be healed of their mental affliction.“
While Pope Leo may be warning against social media, he has also used it to express his ongoing criticism of the Trump administration’s policies, including a post on X urging for peace between the United States and Cuba earlier this month.
Among his critiques, Pope Leo has slammed Donald Trump for his “extremely disrespectful” treatment of immigrants through ongoing ICE raids.
In a post for Lent, the pope posted his part of his message for the religious observance on X, which encouraged his pulpit to “ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others.”
The Holy Father issued another stern tech warning on Friday, cautioning against using artificial intelligence to write sermons. “To give a homily is to share faith,” he said, adding that AI “will never be able to share faith,” according to Vatican News.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Vatican for comment.
