"I wish peace to all of you"
Vatican: "Active SNS engagement will continue"
Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected pontiff, has begun communicating with Catholic believers around the world through social networking services (SNS).
On the 13th (local time), the Vatican announced, "Pope Leo XIV has decided to remain active on SNS through the official papal accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram."
Pope Leo XIV has inherited the X account that was created on December 12, 2012, during the papacy of Benedict XVI and later used by Pope Francis. The account's username is 'Pontifex.' The Latin word 'Pontifex,' meaning 'bridge builder,' refers to the pope. This account is operated in nine languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish, Arabic, and Latin. It currently has 52 million followers.
He has also taken over the Instagram account that was launched by Pope Francis on March 19, 2016. On this day, Pope Leo XIV shared several photos featuring his official activities since his election as his first Instagram post. Accompanying the photos, he wrote, "I wish peace to all of you," and added, "I hope this greeting of peace will resonate in your hearts, in your homes, and with all people around the world, wherever you may be."
After Pope Leo XIV was elected, his past SNS activity also drew renewed attention. He had previously shared several articles on SNS that were critical of the anti-immigration policies of the Donald Trump administration in the United States.
In February, when U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance cited the early Catholic theological concept of 'ordo amoris' (meaning 'order of love') to argue that Catholic believers should prioritize non-immigrants, Pope Leo XIV criticized him, saying, "Vance is wrong. Jesus does not ask us to rank our love for others."
Pope Leo XIV, born in 1955 in Chicago and a member of the Order of Saint Augustine, was ordained as a priest in 1982. He is known to have served in pastoral ministry in Peru for a long time. He was also personally appointed as a cardinal by Pope Francis.
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