The Pope Is on Instagram Now

Pope Francis officially joined the Instagram generation on Saturday, and he's already bringing a unique voice to the social media platform—in that his first post wasn't a cat video, photo of food, or selfie. Instead, His Holiness—or @franciscus, as he's now known on Instagram—posted a picture of himself praying along with the phrase "pray for me" in nine languages. CNN reports the Pope had 100,000 Instagram followers within an hour of launching his account. His first post had more than 65,000 likes and nearly 12,000 comments in the first three hours. Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom, who met with the Pope last month, called the Pope's first Instagram post "an incredible moment" and said his "messages of humility, compassion and mercy will leave a lasting mark," according to Time.

A Vatican spokesperson says the Pope joining Instagram is a "particularly smart move" because it's quickly becoming more popular in Catholic-heavy countries like Italy, Mexico, and Brazil. Pope Francis has embraced social media during his three years in the position. He actually announced his first Instagram post on Twitter, were he has nearly 9 million followers. "I am beginning a new journey, on Instagram, to walk with you along the path of mercy and the tenderness of God," the Pope tweeted. But for anyone worried the Pope will soon be too distracted by filter options to get any work done, CNN points out someone else does his social media for him. (More Pope Francis stories.)