Raffaele Buscemi
(ZENIT News / Rome, 02.02.2026).- Premise: I’m not going to comment on the decision to leave the priesthood. I only want to analyze the last six months from the perspective of communication and its strategies.
Spoiler alert for those who don’t want to read this long reflection: in my opinion, the digital creator ended up overshadowing the person/persona.
The case of the now former Don [diocesan priest] Alberto is a formidable (and in certain aspects unsettling, due to the cold calculation with which it has been carried out) case study of communication strategy. Analyzing the events of the last few months, a short circuit emerges between what has been seen and what has not been seen through its content. Let’s look at the facts in order:
On September 4, Don Alberto posted a video in a nightclub to refute those who saw the priesthood as a life of privations. The result? Six million views. Today we know that, while recording that video, he was most likely already writing his farewell book, «La Scelta» («The Choice»). A book isn’t written, edited, and printed in just a few days.
Furthermore, he didn’t inform the Bishop himself of his resignation from the priesthood the day before (and we’ll return to this when discussing the published press release).
From a communications standpoint, if you know you want to leave, but you publish content that vehemently defends the identity you’re about to abandon, you’re not bearing witness. You’re generating «engagement.» You’re polarizing the audience to maximize visibility in anticipation of the imminent «rebranding.»
In his videos over the last few months, he had also shifted from spiritual content (he used to talk about sin, confession, God’s love, etc.) to self-narration (why the Youth Jubilee is actually a failure, his childhood, his gym, his «gymbro» photos, his podcast appearances where he talks about his life without any reference to his faith, supplements, etc.). There were also many vague videos that spoke generically about «echoice,» the election year, the year of change, etc., as if they were cryptic teasers. This, too, is a typical tactic before a rebranding.
From the gym to supplements, to an increasingly «cool» aesthetic: the line between being in the world and being of the world has become incredibly thin. When a priest fully adopts the language of a content creator, the risk is that the logic of content (which must be productive, entertaining, and pleasing) will replace the logic of the Gospel (which is often uncomfortable, silent, and «off-target»).
The farewell didn’t come as a retreat into silence, but rather as a book launch:
–Exclusive interview with Giacomo Poretti (clearly prepared well in advance of the book’s release)
–TikTok video announcing the launch and linking to a longer YouTube video.
–YouTube video in the works (for monetization).
–Book out next week.
It’s the spectacularization of previous work. Suffering and choice are thus transformed into a consumer product, with its corresponding call to action (buy the book, watch the video, find out how the story continues). Furthermore, this is evident in the calculations used both in the production of the content and in its online launch for the book’s sale.
Throughout all of this, there’s a clear sense that the Diocese of Milan jumped the gun by publishing a press release that circulated for days without appearing on the official website (it appeared on Sunday, February 1st, as a news item, but not on the homepage). The release of the press release likely disrupted Don Alberto’s plans, forcing him to release the TikTok video before the YouTube video was ready and to hastily distribute a clip from the Poretcast.
Don Alberto was right to stop wearing a habit that felt restrictive (it was necessary to understand why, and whether someone made him feel that way with a thousand restrictions). His personal choice is absolutely legitimate. However, the question remains of communicative responsibility, managed entirely on his own, as a digital creator rather than as a priest, without a clear plan shared with his diocese.
Raffaele Buscemi is Professor of Digital Communication at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. He directs and coordinates the information website www.documentaziione.info
