Coman Celebrity priests and their audiences (original) (raw)

2024, Audience Interactions in Contemporary Celebrity Culture Approaches from across Disciplines, In Gaëlle Ouvrein, Ana Jorge, Hilde Van den Bulck (eds),. Lexington Books. The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group.

The analysis of online texts of interactions between celebrity-priests and their followers show that they are turning from mediators of communication with the divinity to celebrity worship objects. In their interactions with their followers, they are providing solutions mainly to issues related to the world here (therapeutic function), ranging from physical and mental illnesses to tips about career success. They are functioning as a moral beacon, often against dogmas (see their attitude on women or the LGBT), they are (omni)present at each stage of their followers’ lives, modelling their social identity. Some of these para-social relationships (McCutcheon, 2013) are (according to posted texts) a testimony of extreme adoration. They have generated support reactions (often fanatical ones), especially in the scandals involving some of the celebrity priests (the paedophilia allegations against Cristian Pomohaci or those concerning falsifying an icon’s miracles, related to Vasile Ioana). While much research in the cultural studies area has been following the mechanism of celebrity sacralization (Coman, 2011, Rojek, 2001, Ward, 2010), this study shows the process of de-sacralization of priests, through an atypical mechanism of cancel-religious-culture.