The growing phenomenon of "priest-influencers" and the dissemination of alleged private revelations by certain exorcists is causing deep concern within the Church. In a reflection on the deviations of the post-Vatican II era, several observers, including Father Kevin Cusick, warn of the dangers of this media overexposure which, under the guise of pastoral zeal, could weaken the faith of the faithful and the equilibrium of the clergy.
The Holy Father himself has added his voice to those warning against this perilous trajectory. The concrete consequences of this personal promotion are already visible: in Italy, a priest recently left the ministry after entering into a relationship that began due to the proliferation of his own images on social media. For many analysts, this case illustrates the risk of confusion between the priestly mission and the pursuit of digital visibility.
The debate crystallizes particularly around the figure of certain exorcists. Using YouTube and social media, these priests regularly share spectacular narratives featuring evil spirits and supernatural events. While these stories capture the attention of an audience seeking sensationalism, their purpose is questionable. One exorcist, questioned about his obsession with recounting these events in public, justified his approach as a desire to "scare" people to bring them back to religious practice, believing that traditional methods no longer work in the face of church closures.
This approach, however, clashes with the very example of Christ in the Gospels. As the account of Saint Mark recalls, when Jesus encountered unclean spirits in Capernaum, He imposed silence on them: "Be quiet! Come out of him!" The Church's tradition emphasizes that giving a platform to demons, even to denounce evil, is a risky undertaking. The great visionaries of history, like Saint Bernadette at Lourdes or Saint Juan Diego at Guadalupe, always showed extreme caution, even initial suspicion, towards apparitions, deferring to the discernment of ecclesiastical authority.
On the doctrinal level, the Church recalls that public Revelation was completed with the death of the last apostle. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is explicit: although faith can deepen its understanding of Revelation over the centuries, no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of the Lord. So-called "private" revelations, even recognized ones, do not belong to the deposit of faith and cannot correct or complete the definitive revelation of Christ.
The dissemination of messages claiming that demons have "revealed" the moral corruption of certain Church leaders during exorcism sessions is particularly criticized. Such statements, broadcast on popular YouTube channels, provide no information that the faithful do not already know from other sources, but above all risk feeding the pride of those who disseminate them.
The conclusion of many pastors is unequivocal: nothing can replace the teaching of Scripture and Tradition. The danger of pride, the original sin of Lucifer who refused to serve, particularly threatens those who seek the spotlight. For the protection of the faithful and the salvation of the priests involved, greater discretion and a return to the humility of ministry seem imperative, far from the tumult of digital platforms. For, as ecclesiastical wisdom reminds us, nothing is more precious than eternal salvation, a reality that humility alone allows us to preserve.