Instagram’s about to get a whole lot holier.
Italian wire service ANSA reported that Holy See prefect for communications Dario Viganò told Vatican radio that Pope Francis will be making his Instagram debut Saturday, March 19. This is an addition to His Holiness’s social media presence, which currently includes his Twitter account with 8.9 million followers.
This news follows the pope’s recent meeting with Instagram founder and CEO Kevin Systrom, where they discussed the power of images and how they can unite people. It’s possible that this meeting was a catalyst for the pontiff’s decision to open an Instagram account.
Today I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis. 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! A photo posted by Kevin Systrom (@kevin) on Feb 26, 2016 at 4:40am PST
There have been fake popes on Instagram before, undoubtedly hoping to cash in on the pontiff’s popularity in an attempt to get likes, something the pope has expressly condemned. One faux pope posted a fake selfie of Pope Francis, claiming to be the real deal, which even fooled CNN. That account no longer exists.
Before you start tweeting account name suggestions at the pope, like @PapalPics, @ClarendonCatholic or @Popestagram, the pontiff will be using the name @Franciscus.