Why do videos of singing nuns and tap-dancing priests go viral? Such is the headline of an article in Crux. Between them they have racked up 60 million views

“I think what’s attractive in a video like Sister Cristina’s is the way she embraces rather than attacks pop culture,” the Rev. James McDermott, SJ, who writes about Catholicism and pop culture, told Crux. “We’ve gotten so used to Catholic figures speaking in opposition to cultural phenomenon that the idea of a religious figure instead embracing something from pop culture is unexpected and refreshing, even edgy.”

McDermott, who writes for America magazine, said that both Sister Cristina’s video and the video of the tap-dancing priests show that religious figures can be “happy, normal people. Catholic culture and pop culture ​both ​tend to portray religious figures as solemn, humorless old men. It drives me crazy. Who would even join an organization like that?”

Sister Cristina’s “Like a Virgin” video racked up more than a million and a half YouTube views in just three days. A video of her singing Alicia Keys’ “No One” on the Italian version of TV’s “The Voice” posted in March has more than 62 million views. She ended up winning the competition after several rounds of performances.

A video of dancing priests is also making the rounds this week, with more than a quarter-million views on YouTube.

The article in Crux continues with contrasting views of the phenomenon.