Pope Leo XIV continues papal social media accounts

Pope greets crowds on Sunday - Screenshot

Source: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV is to continue a presence on the papal social media accounts, on X and Instagram, following his predecessors, Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Leo has inherited the @Pontifex account on X (formerly Twitter). The account has over 52 million followers and communicates in nine languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish, Arabic and Latin)

Messages shared by Pope Francis during his pontificate are being archived on the Vatican's official website.

On Instagram, Pope Leo XIV will be posting under the name: @Pontifex-Pope Leo XIV

The Holy Father published his first Instagram post on Tuesday, taken from his first public address at the Urbi et Orbi just after his election on May 8: "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."

It is written in seven languages In seven languages (English, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, French, German and Polish) and includes photos from the first days of his pontificate.

Pope Benedict XVI was the first Pope to open a social media account. He sent the first papal tweet when he was 84-years-old, on what was then Twitter, on 12 December, 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," he wrote.

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.