// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Alberto Ravagnani a good painter? No, he's a little "drawn" out.
Alberto Ravagnani | |
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| Born | 1993 (age 32–33) Monza, Italy |
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Alberto Ravagnani (born 1993) is an Italian social media personality and former Catholic priest. He became known for his decision to renounce the priesthood due to disagreements over the church's celibacy rule for clergy members.
Early life
[edit]Ravagnani was born in 1993 in Monza, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. His father was a warehouse worker and his mother was a cook.[1] He wrote in his autobiography, published in 2026,[2] about how he condemned his classmates at school, had a pornography addiction as a teenager and was not shown much affection through his childhood.[1]
Priesthood and social media success
[edit]Ravagnani came to faith at 17, and was ordained as an associate pastor in 2018, initally at the Church of St Michael the Archangel in Busto Arsizio[3][4] before later moving to San Gottardo in Corte in Milan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he started a YouTube channel, where he quickly gained over 75,000 subscribers by July 2020.[4]
Ravagnani wrote a letter to Italian rapper Fedez after he released a song containing a remark about the Church's history of child sexual abuse scandals, suggesting that Fedez meet several of the children in his parish to learn of their experiences in the church,[4] with Fedez later blocking Ravagnani on Instagram.[5] Ravagnani was also a speaker at the Jubilee of Catholic Digital Missionaries and Influencers held in Rome in June 2025.[5]
Ravagnani would come under controversy in September 2025, following an Instagram post containing a paid partnership with a supplements company. He defended the decision, claiming that it was necessary in order to cover expenses related with his career.[5] Ravagnani also stated that he occasionally used ChatGPT to write sermons.[6]
Departure from the priesthood
[edit]In January 2026, Ravagnani announced that he would stand down as a priest, citing his main reason for doing so as his disagreement with the Church's celibacy rules, which require ordained members of the Church to abstain from marriage and sexual activity.[6] Initially he believed in celibacy during his study at the seminary, however his opinion changed after being questioned by his parishioners, some of whom pointed out contradictions in the Church's teachings.[7] In an interview with Triple J Hack, that throughout his priesthood, he struggled with remaining celibate, and that he desired a relationship.[8] He stated, "I think we don't have to demonise having sex and try to feel pleasure about giving love and receiving love."[7]
He wrote an autobiography about his experiences with priesthood and social media fandom, titled La Scelta (English: The Choice).[2] Ravagnani is encouraging the church to reconsider its stances on celibacy and to be more inclusive.[6][7]
References
[edit]- 1 2 McKenna, Josephine (2026-03-01). "I quit the priesthood because it's too hard to stay celibate". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- 1 2 Ravagnani, Alberto (2026). La Scelta [The Choice] (in Italian). Baku: SEM Publishing. ISBN 9788893907811.
- ↑ "'Influencer priest' resigns over Catholic stance on sex and celibacy". Premier Christian News. 2026-02-10. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- 1 2 3 Allen, John L. Jr. (2020-07-14). "Webstar priest challenges Italian rapper on the Church's unseen good". Crux. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- 1 2 3 Edwards, Thomas (2026-02-03). "'Influencer priest' announces his departure from the priesthood". The Catholic Herald. Archived from the original on 2026-02-03. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- 1 2 3 Marchese, David (2026-03-07). "Former 'hot priest' Alberto Ravagnani on why he couldn't live with Catholic celibacy rules". ABC News. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- 1 2 3 Wilson, James (2026-02-16). "Don Alberto Ravagnani is still single - despite quitting over celibacy rules". Newstalk. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- ↑ Marchese, David (2026-03-04). "INTERVIEW: The priest who quit for sex". Triple J. Retrieved 2026-08-01.