Pope Francis has #blessed the social media world by recently creating an Instagram account that gained 1 million followers in under 12 hours—a record-breaking amount, according to the social media platform. And the numbers continue to increase, with his account now at over 2 million followers.
His first post, under the Instagram handle @franciscus, is a fitting one. The photo depicts Pope Francis kneeling, his head bowed and his hands folded in prayer. The caption, though simple, is one of humility: “Pray for me.” It is written in nine different languages.
Though this exposure on social media may seem nontraditional for a public religious figure, Pope Francis has proven countless times that he has no intention of being “traditional.” He is known for his messages of mercy, compassion and humility, which have all been evident in his three years as the pope. From his refusal to live in the Apostolic Palace to washing and kissing the feet of prisoners at Mass, Pope Francis’ latest move is not uncharacteristic for this forward-thinking public leader.
In fact, the reaction to the Pope’s participation in the Instagram community seems to be positive and supported by many, especially by the No. 1 consumer of social media: Millennials.
“The youth community at my church is really large,” freshman social work major Ben Martin said. “All of them follow [Pope Francis] on Instagram. Almost every kid today has an Instagram, so I think it’s a great way to branch out to a younger generation and a great way for younger people to learn more about him.”
These sentiments may well be the motivation for Pope Francis’ recent interest in social media platforms like Twitter, which he joined in early March.
In a statement released by Msgr. Dario E. Vigano, prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communication, Vigano explained, “Instagram will help recount the papacy through images, to enable all those who wish to accompany and know more about Pope Francis’ pontificate to encounter his gestures of tenderness and mercy.”
It seems clear that the target audience for Pope Francis and the Catholic Church is the younger generation. One of the recent posts specifically acknowledged this upcoming generation—it is a picture of a group of younger people, captioned with the encouraging message, “Young people, God is on your side, He believes in you, and He hopes in you!”
This makes sense to Martin, who understands the importance of building up the future generation in faith.
“Maybe they realized how small the youth population at the Church is nowadays,” Martin said. “It’s really important to reach out to the next generation because they are the future of the Catholic faith.”
Although it allows for a certain level of accessibility, the pictures are not taken or posted by the Pope himself. His Instagram, along with all of his other social media accounts, are managed by the social media department of Secretariat for Communications.
Despite that, being able to witness the daily life of such an influential and inspiring leader such as Pope Francis is a unique opportunity for the world. Pope Francis’ emergence on Instagram is yet another example of his intentional efforts to bring those who feel like outcasts into the Church and into God’s unconditional love.