VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has assumed control of the Vatican’s official social media accounts, starting with his debut Instagram post on Tuesday, echoing the first greeting he delivered as Pope: “Peace be with you all!”
The @Pontifex – Pope Leo XIV post featured some of the photos that have documented the first days of history’s first American pope.
The Vatican said it was archiving the posts from Pope Francis ’12-year papacy.
On X, the new account didn’t appear to be active Tuesday.
The Vatican launched the @Pontifex handle in 2012 during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI.
The message is now available in nine languages — English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish, Arabic, and Latin — collectively amassing an audience of 52 million followers.
Past popes didn’t actually send the posts, which were curated by the Vatican.
The former Cardinal Robert Prevost occasionally posted on X in an account started in 2011.
The accounts had been inactive since July 2023 but were revived earlier this year to express disapproval of Trump administration’s migration policies and remarks made by Vice President JD Vance.
