Pope Lion XIV will keep the presence on social networks, including Instagram and X (previously Twitter), Vatican News . The Vatican emphasizes the importance of the responsible use of digital platforms within the church pastoral mission.
According to the report, Lev XIV will continue the tradition of its predecessors in the field of online communications. The first Pontiff to register on Twitter was Benedict XVI - this happened on December 12, 2012. Subsequently, the account under the name PONTIFEX went to Pope Francis, and in 2016 he also opened a page on Instagram under the nickname Franciscus .
Pontifex account in X now has about 52 million subscribers and is conducted in nine languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish, Arabic and Latin.
At the same time, all posts of Pope Francis will be argued in a special section of the official site of the Holy See - Vatican.VA . This will preserve the history of the digital presence of the previous pontiff as part of the church heritage.
The Vatican emphasizes that digital tools are useful tools for evangelization, but they should be used ethically, avoiding misinformation, manipulation and hostility.
