IMAGE: CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano
By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Firming up his presence on social
media, Pope Francis will make his debut on the photo-sharing app Instagram, a
Vatican official announced.
Msgr. Dario Vigano, prefect of the Secretariat for
Communications, said the pope’s new account “Franciscus,” will go online March 19 and offer
another side of his pontificate through photos.
During a news conference presenting a new book on the pope, Msgr. Vigano dubbed
him “the Apple pope” because “there is very complex system
behind a simple interface.”
That simplicity translated well for the pope’s Twitter
account, which has well over 25 million followers in nine languages.
Whether
at general audiences or during foreign trips, thousands of people try to take a
coveted “papal selfie” with the pope. While it is unlikely the
pope will pose for his own selfies, the account will offer viewers a glimpse
into the pope’s life and messages.
The announcement
came just over two
weeks after Pope Francis met with Kevin Systrom, CEO and co-founder of Instagram.
“Today
I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis,” Systrom wrote to his followers
on the photo-sharing app. “We spoke about the power of images to unite
people across different cultures and languages. It was by far one of the most
memorable experiences of my life!”
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