Pope Leo XIV back on social media, with message of peace

Vatican City | Pope Leo XIV has taken over the Vatican's official social media handles, with a first Instagram post on Tuesday repeating the first words he said to the world as pope: “Peace be with you all!”

The @Pontifex – Pope Leo XIV post featured some of the photos that have documented the first days of history's first American pope.

The Vatican said it was archiving the posts from Pope Francis' 12-year papacy. On X, the new account didn't appear to be active Tuesday.

The Vatican launched the @Pontifex handle in 2012 during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. It now comes in nine languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish, Arabic, and Latin -- and counts a combined 52 million followers.

Past popes didn't actually send the posts, which were curated by the Vatican.

The former Cardinal Robert Prevost occasionally posted on X in an account started in 2011. It had been dormant since July 2023 but came back to life earlier this year to share criticism of Trump administration migration policies and comments by Vice President JD Vance.