Welcome Pope Leo XIV to the World of Social Media!
Exciting news! Pope Leo XIV has officially joined the world of social media with his first post on the papal accounts. This move follows in the footsteps of his predecessors, Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI, who utilized social media to connect with millions of followers.
In a press release from the Dicastery for Communication, it was announced that Pope Leo XIV has decided to maintain an active social media presence through the official papal accounts on X and Instagram. His first post on Instagram featured iconic photos from his first public address at the Urbi et Orbi, capturing the essence of his pontificate.
The official @Pontifex account on X, which boasts a total of 52 million followers across nine languages, will now be home to Pope Leo XIV’s social media updates. The late Pope Francis’ content will be archived on the Vatican’s institutional website, vatican.va.
On Instagram, Pope Leo XIV’s account will be known as @Pontifex – Pope Leo XIV, the only official papal account on the platform owned by Meta. Pope Francis’ @Franciscus account will remain accessible as a commemorative archive.
Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis shared around 50,000 posts on social media, offering messages of peace, social justice, and care for creation. His content was viewed over 27 billion times in 2020 alone, reflecting the power of social media in spreading the Pope’s message.
Pope Benedict XVI was the first Pope to open a social media account, sending his first tweet at 84 years old in 2012. Pope Francis continued this tradition, expanding the papal social media presence by opening his Instagram account on the Solemnity of St. Joseph in 2016.
As Pope Leo XIV embraces modern means of communication, his presence on social media will serve as a guiding light for the Church and Catholics worldwide. Let’s welcome Pope Leo XIV to the world of social media with open arms!
Papal social media
Pope Benedict XVI was the first Pope to open a social media account, sending the first papal tweet when he was 84-years-old, on what was then Twitter, on December 12, 2012.
“Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart,” wrote the German-born Pope.
His 140-character tweet opened the door for the Holy See to embrace the contemporary form of social communication.
Upon his election as the 266th pontiff, Pope Francis used the same Twitter account, sending his first tweet: “Dear friends, I thank you from my heart and ask you to continue to pray for me.”
On March 19, 2016, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Pope Francis expanded the papal social presence by opening his Instagram account, @franciscus. His first post was a photo of himself kneeling in prayer with the caption “Pray for me” in several languages.
As Pope Leo XIV employs modern means of social communication, the Church’s institutions and all Catholics can look to his guidance and inspiration for how to conduct themselves online.
