Pope Leo XIV’s first social media tweet breaks his silence

The pontificate of Pope Leo is just getting started. Despite only been elected last week, the 69-year-old American has already shown his intentions for the Catholic Church. Even his family and experts have discussed him, but Leo has remained silent up to this point. The Pope has finally spoken up with a global statement on Instagram and X.

Being the first American pope, Pope Leo XIV created history. It was decided that he would succeed Pope Francis during a two-day conclave. Like any respectable election, there were differing views on Leo’s appointment. Dr. Charlie Gillespie, a professor at Sacred Heart University, expressed his excitement over the decision in an interview with People Magazine.

Pope Leo XIV. Credit: Getty Images

“This is a clear signal that the College of Cardinals felt the calling of the spirit to elect someone for the whole globe,” Gillespie said, adding that many people would express excitement. According to Kathleen Sprows Cummings, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, the action was “unprecedented” and would not have been feasible “just a century ago.” Pope Leo “had the best chance of any American ever,” Cummings added, adding that “the conventional wisdom was that here would not be an American pope.”

“Although he was born in the United States, he lived abroad for the majority of his life serving as a missionary and working at the Vatican in Italy,” the professor from Notre Dame continued. “He is essentially a bridge builder between three continents, which is exactly what the church needs.”

Pope Leo has also made the decision to be active on social media. The Pope has decided to keep an active social media presence through the official papal accounts on Instagram and X, the Dicastery for Communication said in a news release on Tuesday. Leo hasn’t said anything about interviews yet, but he just posted on social media for the first time. The Pope shared a photo from his inaugural speech on May 8 on Instagram and X. A number of images from his first day as pope were also included in the Instagram post.

“May you all live in peace! The Good Shepherd, the risen Christ, says this as his first greeting. It said, “I hope that this message of peace will resonate in your hearts, in your families, and among all people, wherever they may be, in every country, and all across the world.” The official @Pontidfex account on X has 52 million followers in nine languages, according to the Dicastery for Communication.