ICYMI, Pope Francis joined Instagram 10 weeks ago after tweeting since February 2012 (yes, I know it's his staff, but come on, the Pope is great.) A source of inspiration, leadership, hope, and joy for Catholics and non-Catholics across the world, I think that the Pope's pilgrimage of sorts to IG was a bold move, helping connect the aging aristocracy of the Catholic Church to the younger Catholic Youth. With captions in English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, French, Polish, Portuguese, German, and Latin, he's reaching across the internet world, in the hopes of touching the hearts of his followers and tending the flame of faith in the Church. Here are some of my favorite posts so far:
1. "Pray for me"
In his first IG post, Pope Francis asked his followers to pray for him, an act of humble leadership.
2. "I want to walk with you along the way of God's Mercy and tenderness."
In this Insta video, Pope Francis declares his intentions to walk along his brothers and sisters in Christ with mercy and tenderness. This video emphasizes Pope Francis' dedication to helping the less fortunate and reminds us Catholics that we are not alone.
3. "The commemoration of a drama of love which gives us the certainty that we will never be abandoned."
Pope Francis' post for Good Friday emphasizes the reason we celebrate Holy Week and Easter -- because Jesus died to redeem our sins and to save our souls.
4. "Young people, God is on your side, He believes in you, and He hopes in you!"
You probably heard about this selfie when it was taken nine weeks ago, mostly because it highlights how much this Pope is trying to connect to the young church. I think it's one of my favorite posts.
5. "Only those who serve with love build peace."
In this world of people who say that service isn't enough, Pope Francis is here to remind us that it is our duty to serve those who are less fortunate and to do so with love in our hearts, minds, words, and actions.
6. "We are not alone: Jesus is close to us, among us, within us!"
I love this picture and the juxtaposition of Jesus and Pope Francis really emphasizes his message (good job, Pope's Insta Squad).
7. "So often we forget about beauty! Mankind thinks, feels, makes, but is in such need today of beauty."
When I first read this, I thought of the Sigmund Freud quote:
“Beauty has no obvious use; nor is there any clear cultural necessity for it. Yet civilization could not do without it."
I think that the universality of this message really proves how important beauty is in our lives.
8. "Let us show our brothers and sisters the same mercy of God the Father, who always consoles us in our difficulties."
Hearkening back once again to his emphasis on helping the less fortunate, Pope Francis continues to use social media to spread his message to more people.
Follow the Pope on Instagram (@fransiscus) and Twitter (@pontifex) for more inspiration and hope!
