The Catholic Church is trying to get influencers — women with fashion accounts and “hot priests” — to serve as its digital missionaries.
In a first, the Vatican gathered more than 1,000 content creators last week in an auditorium near St. Peter’s Basilica. They danced, took selfies and filmed the stage, which flashed in neon pink and blue. Pope Leo made an appearance, sparking a photo frenzy. “I’m high off this experience,” said Mackenzie Hunter, a 26-year-old from St. Paul, Minn. Her Instagram account, “acaffeinatedcatholic,” has about 25,000 followers.
Christianity has a branding problem. Over the past 25 years, tens of millions of Americans left the faith. While that has stalled recently, no one wants to go to a party that seems to be winding down.
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