Celebrity priests?

[PRmerger]

First of all- why is it wrong to question the idea of “celebrity” priest? From the snarky answers I have read, seems there is an inordinate attachment to personalities.

The Church got into a lot of trouble when we protected SOME priests in the past. The attitude was that father was not to be questioned, that lead to questioning by police and the collective questioning of the Catholic conscience.

There are obvious fallen celebrity priests out there, I can think of one “cutie”… and his case mild in comparision.

I will not make a list of fallen priests here, that’s not the point.
What I am interested in, is the profile of the fallen celebrity priest.
I would argue the Pope is not a celebrity nor is Jesus- they’re well-known and
celebrated but not celebrities.

I’ll start- the Pope did not necessarily want/seek his post, the celebrities built their empires.

I understand your question, bonvivantHermit. And I’m not sure why it’s prompted such snarkiness. It is indeed an interesting phenomenon.

And I understand your reluctance to name any particular fallen priest. That is judicious.

The phenomenon of celebrity anything is interesting in that it does seem to lend itself more to a fallen lifestyle.

Why this occurs is worthy of further discussion.

 

[bonvivantHermit]

Another way to measure an organization, is to look at their spending ratio. Guide star is a good tool- you can look up charity and see what they are spending their $$ on- in otherwords look at the fruits.

 

[PRmerger]

Another way to measure an organization, is to look at their spending ratio. Guide star is a good tool- you can look up charity and see what they are spending their $$ on- in otherwords look at the fruits.

I think this is a good measure.

As it applies to “celebrity priests”–does this man pocket the profits of his celebrity? Has his lifestyle changed as a result of his being lionized and celebrated?

 

[Joe_5859]

I see no reason to make overly broad generalizations. With fame comes many temptations and trials. Some overcome them, some do not. I don’t think there’s anything intrinsically wrong with a priest being a “celebrity”. He definitely needs to redouble his prayers and take constant stock of his spiritual life.

Like with many things, it can be done well or it can be done poorly. When a celebrity priest fails, he often fails spectacularly. All the more reason for us to pray for those priests who find themselves with a large public audience.

 

[Robertanthony]

On a personal note, I’ve never gotten over JohnCorapi’s fall from grace. What appealed to me beside his strong personality, the orthodoxy in his preaching, is that he had known the world and its seductions (fame, power, money, prestige, sex, material possession, being somebody etc.) and that he (said he) counted it as nothing, dust in comparison to being a Priest, serving God. I was always wary of the marketing though. “Discover God’s solution to all the things that rob you of your peace for 3 easy payments of…”“Wait, if you call within the next 22 minutes, you’ll also get…”

 

[Joe_5859]

On a personal note, I’ve never gotten over JohnCorapi’s fall from grace. What appealed to me beside his strong personality, the orthodoxy in his preaching, is that he had known the world and its seductions (fame, power, money, prestige, sex, material possession, being somebody etc.) and that he (said he) counted it as nothing, dust in comparison to being a Priest, serving God. I was always wary of the marketing though. “Discover God’s solution to all the things that rob you of your peace for 3 easy payments of…”“Wait, if you call within the next 22 minutes, you’ll also get…”

I actually take the fact that there is total silence regarding Fr. Corapi as a positive sign. His websites and social media outlets have all been dissolved and disappeared. Perhaps he is reconciling. One never knows.

 

[Robertanthony]

I actually take the fact that there is total silence regarding Fr. Corapi as a positive sign. His websites and social media outlets have all been dissolved and disappeared. Perhaps he is reconciling. One never knows.

I’d be overjoyed.

 

[Bobby_Jim]

I suppose one might liken the idea of a “celebrity priest” to a “celebrity chef”. The “celebrity chefs” that gain popularity on TV are probably pretty talented, but may or may not be any better at “chefery” than they guy in the local corner bistro, or a hundred other guys within a 10-block radius. But the celebrity chef has a TV show, and thus people come from far and wide to eat at his restaurant, based on the celebrity and the perceived quality (he’s on TV, so he must be good) more so than on the actual merits relative to someone or other else who doesn’t happen to be on TV. In fact being successful on TV is more about having an engaging personality that comes across well on camera, as opposed to amazing culinary skills.

So too with the so-called “celebrity priest”… someone might be a charismatic or inspiring preacher with a “media apostolate”, and thus become widely known to a large audience. That doesn’t mean that said priest necessarily has anything better, truer, or holier to say than the pastor at your parish, or a hundred other pastors in your city. But he’s on TV, and speaks with passion, so he must be good. Not saying he’s not good or anything. But what differentiates him from a hundred other priests is that he’s comes across well on TV, as opposed to being particularly talented, thoughtful, insightful, or intellectually gifted. He might be all of those things, but that’s not why he’s a celebrity! The problem comes when we undervalue the priests in our own communities, who are there to minister to us in our everyday lives, and with whom we can form real relationships, because in some way or another they don’t live up to our expectations of this or that priest that we see on EWTN or hear on Catholic radio.