Amid a Crisis of Faith Among Young People, the Church Has Discovered a New Way to Connect: TikTok Nuns

The death of Pope Francis has sparked an increase in interest in Edward Berger’s Conclave, a 2024 thriller set during a papal conclave to elect the new pope. Notably, Catholicism has also been trending on social media lately for a totally different reason.

In recent months, a new generation of influencers has entered the scene to communicate the intricacies of their faith. Modern times have even caught up with nuns who now use TikTok to share insights about monastic life.

TikTok nuns. One of the latest viral sensations is Sister Claudia from Italy, who gained popularity with her recipes and has more than 113,000 followers. Another prominent figure is Sister Marta, a Spanish nun with 64,000 followers on TikTok and 38,000 on Instagram.

Sister Marta advises young people on topics such as prayer and vocation while highlighting the products cooked by the nuns in her congregation. She answers the most uncomfortable questions with straightforward answers and even tackles controversial subjects for a nun, including tattoos and sexuality. She explores many of these topics in greater depth on her YouTube channel.

In the footsteps of Jesus. “If Jesus were alive today, he would use social media… because, in his time, he sought all possible ways to reach people,” Sister Josefina Cattaneo told Global Sisters Report. This Argentinian nun is popular on TikTok with more than 208,000 followers.

Nuns use TikTok to share their experiences. They provide insights into life inside the convent, stripping away the mystique. They present it as if they were simply a group of friends who spend their day praying together. TikTok nuns also depict their routines, celebrations, and leisure, making monastic life more relatable and approachable.

Monastic life vs. influencer life. Social media nuns sharing their lives on TikTok contrasts with the typically reclusive and secretive existence associated with religious orders. In the end, social media is rooted in exhibitionism and self-promotion. This nature seems at odds with the life of a nun, which people typically view as private and modest.

Many of these nuns have skillfully adapted social media trends and language. They use filters and memes and have incorporated them into their messages with a clear intention: giving the Catholic Church a modern facelift.

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Decline in vocations. In recent years, there’s been a significant decline in the number of vocations among nuns. In 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, there were around 7,906 cloistered nuns and monks. This marked a 19.8% decrease from 10,889 in 2012 to 8,739 in 2019.

Additionally, the average age of nuns has now surpassed 75 in most communities, indicating a concerning lack of generational replacement.

Catholic wave. Even before Pope Francis’ death, TikTok recorded a surge of accounts from Catholic influencers. Like social media nuns, they’re creating content that blends the language of TikTok with themes of prayer and reflection. There are Catholic singers, priests, and even former nuns who post videos about Catholicism and its traditions.

Why do they go viral? What makes this content so appealing, beyond individual religious affiliation, that it goes viral and spreads so widely? The spontaneity of nuns and the revelation of “secrets” from convent life clearly help. It contrasts sharply with the solemnity and mystique typically associated with convents, making these personalities intriguing.

People are captivated by the opportunity to glimpse into a way of life that’s becoming increasingly rare.

Image | Ricardo Gomez Angel

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