Pope Francis Gains 10,000 Followers within Hours after Joining Instagram

Pope Francis gained 10,000 followers within hours after joining Instagram on March 19.

The Pontiff has only posted two photos so far but there are an estimated 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in the world.

Pope Francis is using the name @Franciscus, Latin for Francis.

The first photo wasn’t a selfie, it was a picture showing Pope Francis kneeling with his head bowed in prayer.

The accompanying caption reads “Pray for me” and is repeated in eight other languages.

The Instagram account won’t be maintained by Pope Francis himself – other people within the Vatican will be responsible for the content.

Pope Francis is no stranger to social media, he already has a Twitter account using the handle @Pontifex.

He used that to announce his presence on Instagram.

It’s thought the Vatican is trying to engage with younger Catholics through the use of social media.

According to Dario Viganò, from the Pope Francis’ communications team the account “will help recount the Papacy through images.”

He explained that it was “to enable all those who wish to accompany and know more about Pope Francis’ pontificate to encounter his gestures of tenderness and mercy”.

Instagram chief executive and co-founder Kevin Systrom met up with Pope Francis earlier this month.