Pope Leo to maintain ‘active social media presence’

Pope Leo XIV will maintain “an active social media presence” on the official papal accounts on the social platform X and Instagram, the Dicastery for Communication announced Tuesday.

The pope posted for the first time on Instagram on Tuesday, sharing photos from his first few days as pope, including of his first public address after his May 8 election.

“Peace be with you all! This is the first greeting spoken by the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd,” the pope wrote in an Instagram caption. “I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, and among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world.”

The @Pontifex accounts on X and Instagram have about 52 million followers, according to the Vatican. Content posted by Pope Francis on these accounts will be archived on the Vatican’s website.

The papal presence on social media began in December 2012 on X, then known as Twitter, under Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Francis was given the account a few months later, and he launched an official Instagram account in March 2016.

The social media posts were “near-daily accompaniment throughout Pope Francis’ pontificate with short messages of an evangelical nature and exhortations in favor of peace, social justice, and care for creation,” Vatican News reported.

Pope Leo XIV became the first American-born pope in the history of the Catholic Church less than a week ago. The pope, 69, was born Robert Francis Prevost in Illinois. Much of his adult life was spent in Peru, where he has dual citizenship.

Pope Francis named him a cardinal in 2023. He is considered an ally of Francis, who made him the cardinal in charge of selecting and managing bishops around the world.