Pope Leo promises 'an active social media presence' after old account was caught criticizing Trump

It might surprise you to learn that one of Pope Leo XIV's first promises after rising to the papacy is to post more on social media, especially after he only recently criticized President Trump and Vice President Vance on his personal X account.

There have been roughly two millennia of Popes across the history of the Catholic church, but only recently is posting on social media seen as a key priority expected by the leadership.

Many of the world's biggest conversations happen across social media such as X, Instagram, and TikTok, so it shouldn't necessarily be a surprise that it's importance - especially when it comes to spreading information and messages - is valued by powerful individuals in Vatican City.

The newly appointed Pope Leo isn't the first of his kind to utilize social media, as the Pontifex account was first set up by Pope Benedict XVI back in December 2012, and the late Pope Francis was also a keen poster.

Pope Francis utilized the internet to share global prayer topics, the last of which involved a warning regarding new technology and the effects it can have on our relationships with others.

For Pope Leo though it remains a priority, as the Dicastery for Communication has indicated that the new leader of the Catholic church will maintain an "active social media presence" across X and Instagram, as reported by the Independent.

His first post was on May 13, featuring 17 different photos from the days following his announcement as the new pope. "Peace be with you all! This is the first greeting spoken by the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd," the caption reads.

"I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, and among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation throughout the world."

Pope Leo also shared the same message on his official X account, outlining in addition his address to participants in the Jubilee of Oriental Churches.

While Pope Leo has followed in the footsteps of his two predecessors in using social media while in the role, he is notable for using it before he became the leader of the church too.

Most notably, Pope Leo got into a spat with current US Vice President JD Vance, following the latter's supposed 'tiered ranking' of love in the faith. Vance argued that you "love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world."

Pope Leo took issue with this particular approach, and shared on his personal social media that "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others."

He then shared an article which was critical of Vance and President Trump's immigration policies, which came after the vice president's recalling of 'ordo amoris', which is translated to 'order of love'.