Vatican City. Pope Leo XIV has taken over the Vatican’s official social media accounts, beginning with an Instagram post on Tuesday that echoed the first words he spoke as pope: “Peace be with you all!”

The @Pontifex post featured a series of photos capturing the first days of the pontificate of history’s first American pope.

The Vatican announced that it is archiving the posts from Pope Francis’ 12-year papacy. As of late Tuesday, the @Pontifex account on X (formerly Twitter) did not appear to be active.

The Vatican first launched the @Pontifex handle in 2012 under Pope Benedict XVI. The account is now available in nine languages—English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish, Arabic, and Latin—and has a combined following of 52 million people.

Unlike previous popes, Pope Leo XIV is reportedly more hands-on with social media. Historically, the Vatican curated and posted messages on behalf of the pope.

Before becoming pope, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost occasionally used X through an account created in 2011. Though inactive since July 2023, the account resumed activity earlier this year, featuring posts that included criticism of Trump-era immigration policies and remarks by US Vice President JD Vance.

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