Pope Leo XIV Launches Social Media Presence with First Post on Instagram and X

Vatican City, May 13, 2025: Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday evening published his first post on official papal social media accounts, marking the beginning of his digital engagement with the global faithful through X and Instagram. According to a press release issued by the Dicastery for Communication on Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV has chosen to actively use the official @Pontifex account on X, which currently boasts 52 million followers across nine languages. He will also be active on Instagram, on his newly established account, @Pontifex – Pope Leo XIV, which gained 5.4 million followers within a few hours of its creation on Tuesday.

The Pope’s inaugural Instagram post featured excerpts from his first public address during the Urbi et Orbi blessing on May 8, along with several striking images from the opening 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,” read the caption of the post.

The press release from the Dicastery confirmed that content posted by the late Pope Francis will be preserved in a dedicated archive section on the Vatican’s official website, vatican.va. His Instagram account, @Franciscus, will remain accessible as a commemorative archive.

Pope Francis had maintained an extensive social media presence, sharing around 50,000 posts throughout his papacy. His content—focused on peace, social justice, and care for creation—garnered over 27 billion views in 2020 alone. It also offered daily spiritual reflections and messages rooted in the Gospel. In 2020 alone, the late pope’s social media content was viewed over 27 billion times.

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.

Courtesy: Vatican News