'Hot priest' under fire after promoting dietary supplements on social media because 'prayer is not enough'
Topics: Social Media, Religion, Health
Dan Seddon
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/donalberto_rava
Topics: Social Media, Religion, Health
Milan's Father Ravagnani seems to have ruffled a few feathers for flaunting his dietary knowledge on Instagram.
This 'hot priest' (full name Alberto Ravagnani) boasting more than 270,000 followers recently uploaded a video of himself promoting a variety of health supplements from the brand Bond.
Lively handheld footage documented his daily routine; spending time with family members, praying at church, and lifting weights at the gym.
"Prayer is not enough, little ones, So: Bond Supplements," he said to the camera. "[They] don’t make me become Superman or Jesus Christ, but they help me to remain myself at my best."
Advert
Ravagnani's accompanying caption was tagged as a paid partnership with Bond Supplements.
"Holy yes, but also healthy," the Catholic priest wrote. "You can find a link in bio that takes you to the Bond Supplements shop. Put it to good use."
In the comment section, viewers were overwhelmingly disappointed by Ravagnani's promotional efforts.
"You are crossing the line Don, a priest must do something else. Forgive me but I mean it... [May] the Lord help you to discern," read one of the many perturbed responses.
"Dear Don Alberto, you threw yourself into the world and that's not good for you and for us. Go back to tradition, only there you will find the true way. Keeping you in my prayers," was another reaction.
A third social media user did actually compliment the priest's editing skills before caveating: "A priest who spends more time promoting his own image than caring for souls has already stopped - in fact - being so.
"This is not about using social media to evangelise. It's all about using it to escape. Escaping from a life that, perhaps, was never really wanted.
"Because those who are happy to be a priest don't put themselves in the window like a product," they argued, and it's difficult to disagree, but capitalism promotes the commodification of everything, so who or what is really to blame?
"I am completely speechless. I think that soon we will see that he will abandon his clothes, a little too much in the world... What a disappointment," wrote another disappointed viewer.
Others accused Ravagnani of 'leading [souls] on the wrong path' through his paid-for content, and being a 'narcissist'.
The 32-year-old jumped to his own defence, though, claiming his social media campaigns were a way to gather funds for his parish.
"Try asking your pastor how he collects parish money," he shared. "Festivals, markets, collaborations with local companies, etc. Here, I do the same, but online."
The Mail Online reports that his parish's bishop warned Ravagnani that these supplement adverts were 'inappropriate' and he'll need authorisation before publishing any in the future.