Catholic priest Alberto Ravagnani (32) He certainly does not adhere to the teaching of his church about asceticism and a modest lifestyle in the service of believers. It takes advantage of his physical attraction on social media, where he has the nickname “sexy priest from Milan”. It has more than 272,000 followers on Instagram. Now, however, he faces sharp criticism by fans after publishing a video promoting Bond food supplements.
In a video that had 450,000 views and more than 8,000 likes, he showed his daily regime-moments with his family, a prayer in the church and strengthening. He also explained that it was maintained in fitness thanks to creatine, whey protein and OMEGA-3 accessories. “Prayer is not enough, my dear. So: Bond accessories,” he told his followers directly. In the video he added that the accessories “do not make me Superman or Jesus Christ, but help me stay the best I can be.”
Ravagnani marked the post as a paid partnership And in the description he wrote, “Saints yes, but healthy yes too. To take care of yourself is a way to love and respect the health that I was given. In my profile you will find a link that will take you to the Bond Supplements store. Use it.” However, the reactions of his followers were predominantly negative.
“You cross the borders, Don, the priest must do something else. Forgive me, but I mean it. May the Lord help you distinguish it,” sounded one comment. “Dear Don Alberto, you plunged into the world, and that’s not good for you or for us. Go back to the tradition, just find the right way there. I will pray for you,” another wrote.
“A priest who spends more time promoting his own image than care of the soul, actually ceased to be a priest. It is not that he uses social media to evangelize. He uses them to escape from his work. To escape from life he may never really want. For those who are happy to be priests do not present themselves as a product, ”said another.
Criticism did not only come from the followers. According to the media, Ravagnan warned the bishop that his advertising campaigns are inappropriate and that they must not repeat them without permission. Ravagnani has been a priest since 2018 and came to the forefront in 2020, when he started shooting videos on YouTube during Lockdown as a result of Covid to stay in touch with young parishioners. Its channel has approximately 160,000 subscribers.
