He
joins anti-government protests and participates in rallies.
Venezuelan priest Luis Antonio Salazar has built a solid social media
following over the past 2 years
preaching the Bible over Instagram, breaking the mould of the country’s
conservative Catholic Church.
Now he has raised his profile more by showing his support for
opposition leader Juan Guaido and joining huge anti-government
protests dressed in his cassock, offering blessings one moment and running from tear gas the next.
“If the people are on the
street, you’ve got to
be with the people,” the former male beauty pageant
contestant said in
his office in eastern Caracas, decorated with
a cross and footage of The Virgin Mary. “Since January 23, I started going into the streets to accompany the people.”
Mr. Salazar, a friar of the Capuchin order who was once a contestant in a Venezuelan survival reality show, uses his iPhone to
film a video series called “Living
the Gospels”, a modern take on theology broadcast on
Saturdays to 30,000
Instagram followers.
The one-minute videos discuss ideas such as inner peace through references to animated film Kung Fu Panda and the2000 action comedy Miss
Congeniality.
“For me, he’s just like the rock-star priest, the millennial priest,” said student Carol Alvarez,
23, who hopes Mr. Salazar will lead her confirmation
ceremony. Mr. Salazar additionally holds traditional Sunday mass that mixes the youthful demeanor of his social
media videos with Catholic prayers and traditions.
One such mass in May caused 400 attendees — most significantly older than his
typical Instagram audience — who
stood in line to greet him and take selfies.
His sermons often elaborate on the Instagram posts.
“I explain quickly
and (explain) how people can use it in their lives,” he said. “People tell me ‘if someone can explain it
to me, I’ll understand it use
it in my life’.”
Mr. Salazar said he got involved in the protests against President
Nicolas Maduro as a result of being
political is part of
being Venezuelan: “From the peasant who harvests potatoes to Juan Guaido, the president in charge. We all talk about politics. I cannot exempt
myself.”