The Catholic Influencer as a Challenge for Spiritual Leadership in the Age of Social Media

The article is a part of the project funded by the Ministry of Education and Science, Republic of Poland, “Regional Initiative of Excellence” in 2019-2022, 028/RID/2018/1

Currently, the Internet is a space where many people and institutions carry out various activities. This situation was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, a large proportion of educational, cultural and religious activities took place through the Internet. This network is also a space for people to meet and exchange views and experiences. The Internet, with its huge media possibilities, is a natural environment for influencers, including Catholic influencers, who appear to be leaders and spiritual advisers in the contemporary mediatized world. The characteristics of Catholic influencing and answering the question of whether this is a challenge for traditional spiritual counselling direction and are important goals in this text. The article refers to broadly understood counseling, but focuses on religious counseling and spiritual guidance realized through social media.