Overview

• Pope Leo XIV has officially taken over the @Pontifex accounts on X, previously managed by Popes Francis and Benedict XVI, which collectively have 52 million followers across nine languages.
• A new Instagram account, @Pontifex, has been launched for Pope Leo XIV, replacing Pope Francis’s dormant @franciscus profile.
• The Instagram account experienced a meteoric rise, gaining over 6 million followers within 12 hours of its launch, a growth rate comparable to top global celebrities.
• The Vatican's Dicastery for Communication has confirmed the consolidation of Pope Leo XIV’s digital presence to unify papal outreach in a social media-driven world.
• Efforts to combat fake accounts impersonating Pope Leo XIV on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have resulted in swift suspensions shortly after their creation.