Pope Francis’s account on the social network Instagram (@franciscus) turns five today, with more than 7 million people following him who, in turn, interact, comment and share the different moments summarized in photos and videos from their eight-year pontificate. .
On March 19, 2016, the Francis channel’s online adventure in this social network began “with the aim of getting closer to the world in grace and tenderness,” the Vatican recalls today.
Since then, his “followers” have grown to more than 7,722,000, especially in Brazil, the United States, Colombia and Italy, in an age range that is mostly between 25 and 34, he explains.
In the biography section, the Argentinian Pope introduces himself as follows: “I want to walk with you in the path of God’s mercy and tenderness.”
Every day the photos of the Vatican Photographic Service are published showing Francis of the general public, the visits of the Heads of State and other personalities, who go through the apostolic journeys and always with special attention to the little ones, to the vulnerable, the poor .
Like all instagrammers, Francis also has his most popular photo in these five years: the image of the Pope climbing alone the atrium of St. Peter’s Basilica, in an empty square, on March 27, 2020, on the occasion of the special moment of prayer amid a pandemic.
From their homes, people followed him with over a million “likes” and 24,200 comments, mostly thanking them and getting them to pray together.
Another of the most followed moments was the recent trip to Iraq, which had 17 million views and 2 million interactions.
Among the comments are those of many Iraqis, both Christians and Muslims, who thank the Pope for the trip, his words of reconciliation and peace, and for drawing the world’s attention to their land.
Francisco also has a Twitter account that his predecessor, Benedict XVI, started in 2007 and is present in nine languages, and now has more than 45 million followers.
March 19 is also the day when Jorge Bergoglio’s pontificate, elected Pope on March 13, officially began, with a mass attended by some 200,000 worshipers, including more than 130 foreign delegations and 30 heads of state.
In his sermon that day, Francis vigorously defended nature, saying that the power of the Pope is to serve others, especially the poor. Practically the motto of his pontificate and that he later reflected in the documents he published.