By Devin Watkins

Pope Leo XIV has chosen “to maintain an active social media presence through the official papal accounts on X and Instagram,” according to a press release from the Dicastery for Communication on Tuesday.

The Pope’s first post on Instagram, and a day later on X, was taken from his first public address at the Urbi et Orbi just after his election on May 8. The Instagram post included several iconic photos from the first days of his pontificate.

“Peace be with you all! This is the first greeting spoken by the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd. 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.”

In the press release, the Dicastery for Communication (our parent organization) noted that the official @Pontifex account on X counts a total of 52 million followers across nine languages.

The content posted by the late Pope Francis will be archived in a special section of the Holy See’s institutional website (vatican.va).

On Instagram, the Pope’s new account will bear the name @Pontifex – Pope Leo XIV, which will be the only official papal account on the platform owned by Meta.

Pope Francis’ @Franciscus account will remain accessible as a commemorative archive, noted the press release.

The late Pope Francis maintained an active presence on both social media platforms, publishing around 50,000 posts, mostly posting excerpts from his speeches on X and images from his public events on Instagram.

These posts, said the press release, offered “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.”

In 2020 alone, the late Pope’s social media content was viewed over 27 billion times.

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.