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Herald Malaysia
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Herald Malaysia
The Church prepares its first Jubilee for Catholic influencers
Rome prepares to host thousands of digital missionaries for a landmark gathering of prayer, formation, and fraternity on July 28–29. Jul 16, 2025 file photo of digital missionaries meeting to prepare for Jubilee By Sebastián Sansón FerrariFor the first time in its history, the Catholic Church will celebrate a Jubilee event within a Holy Year specifically dedicated to digital missionaries and Catholic influencers, formally recognising the digital environment as a true field of mission. The gathering will take place in Rome on July 28 and 29, 2025, coinciding with the opening days of the Youth Jubilee. Many young people who evangelise through social media will be actively involved in both celebrations. This unprecedented initiative, organised by the Dicastery for Communication, will bring together nearly one thousand digital missionaries from around the world, with strong representation from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Spain. These evangelizers proclaim the joy of the Gospel through social media, video platforms, blogs, and apps, offering a creative, accessible, and engaged Christian witness within the digital continent. For those unable to travel to the Eternal City, parallel virtual events will be offered through registration at the official website allowing many others to participate from their local contexts of mission. While in-person registration has closed, participants are still welcome to join online. The two main formative sessions of the Jubilee will also be livestreamed via the YouTube channel La Iglesia Te Escucha ("The Church Listens to You"). This initiative emerged in response to Pope Francis' call during the Synod on Synodality (2021–2024), which emphasised the importance of bringing the Good News into the digital world and ensuring no one is excluded from the synodal journey. It stands as a clear expression of a missionary Church, one that reaches out to the existential peripheries of contemporary society. Spirituality, formation, celebration The Jubilee program will unfold in three key phases. The spiritual component centres on the pilgrimage through the Holy Door—a hallmark of every Holy Year and a sign of interior renewal and openness to grace. This will be followed by a formative phase, featuring keynote presentations, workshops, and testimonies at the Auditorium Conciliazione. These sessions aim to provide pastoral tools for digital mission and foster spaces for shared reflection. The final phase will be a celebratory moment: a festival in Piazza Risorgimento highlighting art, music, and creativity as dynamic languages of evangelisation and communion in the digital sphere. Both venues are within walking distance of St. Peter's Square. Compassionate evangelisation in the digital space This Jubilee answers Pope Francis' invitation to be 'Good Samaritans' in the digital world. The Holy Father has urged the faithful to inhabit online spaces with compassion, humanity, and closeness, not merely through functional or technical presence, but through a pastoral approach of hope. He has repeatedly emphasised the need for a communication that listens, amplifies the voices of the voiceless, and disarms words marked by division or hostility—a theme also echoed by Pope Leo XIV in his first meeting with media professionals. The Jubilee also builds upon the first global gathering of digital evangelizers, held during World Youth Day in Lisbon in 2023. That event gave rise to an international network of missionaries, which is now being strengthened and projected toward the future through this Jubilee initiative. In the coming days, the Jubilee's official website will release a dedicated spiritual guide to help participants prepare internally for the event. Promotional materials and graphic resources are already available for download to inspire and support the missionary dimension of participants, whether in Rome or in the digital peripheries. A hymn that unites voices and cultures One of the highlights of the Jubilee's preparation has been the release of its official hymn, Todos ("Everyone"). The song is a collaborative project uniting Catholic artists from around the globe. The title Todos echoes Pope Francis' powerful affirmation during World Youth Day in Lisbon on August 3, 2023: 'In the Church, there is room for everyone, everyone, everyone!' The hymn captures the inclusive, synodal, and missionary spirit that animates this Jubilee.--Vatican News
GMA Network
29-05-2025
- GMA Network
Vatican revamps website for more accessible browsing
The Vatican has changed the graphic design of its website for more accessible navigation. In a statement on Thursday, the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication said the homepage update is 'part of an extensive editorial and development effort' to transfer the site's 'historical heritage' into a renewed portal. "It must represent the embrace of the Church in the digital world. It was the first thing that came to mind when I heard about the intention to renew the official website of the Holy See,' Peruvian graphic designer Juan Carlos Yto said. The website, which has been online since 1995, previously displayed a gold tone and depicts Pope Leo XIV's insignia. It also featured the previous popes and sections such as news, calendars, photos, and videos. Meanwhile, the new look of the website has a blue tone with Pope Leo XIV's photo and insignia while some of its other features were rearranged. Yto said the website invoked a 'clearer, more approachable, and contemporary Church.' 'The colors are inspired by the Roman sky blue, which contrasts beautifully with the warm tones of travertine. Sky and earth. Stone and depth. Golden accents of divinity, light grays, and white to illuminate,' he said. 'Larger and more prominent photographs on the homepage, to show a living and constantly moving Church,' he added Pope Leo XIV was inaugurated as the 267th Pontiff on May 18, 2025. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/LDF, GMA Integrated News
The Journal
18-05-2025
- General
- The Journal
What's happened to Pope Francis's social media accounts?
WHEN POPE FRANCIS died, the Vatican faced the dilemma of what to do with the late pontiff's social media accounts. Pope Benedict XIV was the first pontiff to have a social media presence when the papal office opened an account on X, formerly Twitter, on December 12, 2012. But he resigned just over two months later, on 28 February 2013, and Francis inherited the account and turned it into a network with over 52 million followers across accounts publishing posts in nine languages. Pope Francis checks his phone during the general audience in Saint Peter's Square on15 March, 2023. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Francis also got his own Instagram account in 2016, which gained more than 10 million followers. People online picked up on something curious about the account on X. Very shortly after Francis's death on 21 April, the handle on his X accounts read 'Apostolica Sedes Vacans' – Latin for 'the Apostolic See is vacant'. The papal accounts on X after the death of Pope Francis X X The profile photo was also changed to the papal coat of arms used during this sede vacante period where there is no pope of the Catholic Church. But while the X account was quick to adapt to the sede vacante period, it was somewhat slow to react to the new pope. Pope Leo XIV became pontiff on Thursday, 8 May but three days later the account was still in sede vacante mode. 'The Dicastery for Communication has an annual budget of €38 million and they haven't updated the official Pope Twitter account yet,' complained one priest on X. the Dicastery for Communication has an annual budget of 38 million euros and they haven't updated the official Pope Twitter account yet — Fr. Paul (@BackwardsFeet) May 9, 2025 Others opined that the Dicastery were taking their time to decide how best to proceed. When the X accounts were updated just over three days after the election of the new pope, they had been turned into an archive. How Pope Francis's account on X looks now X X Rumours then began that Leo XIV, who himself had a personal account on X which has now been deactivated, would decide not to use social media. In February, Leo XIV – then Cardinal Robert Prevost – shared a news article on his personal X account which read: 'JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others.' But such rumours were short lived as on Tuesday, 13 May the Dicastery for Communication announced that Leo XIV would indeed maintain an 'active social media presence through the official papal accounts on X and Instagram'. Leo XIV inherited the @Pontifex accounts on X that were used by Pope Francis, and before that by Benedict XVI. Advertisement Pope Leo XIV pictured in the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall on 12 May Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Meanwhile, Francis's posts on X have been moved to an archive account on the site . And on Instagram, Francis's @Franciscus account will remain accessible as an 'Ad Memoriam' commemorative archive. The new pope meanwhile takes on an Instagram account called @Pontifex. In under 24 hours, Leo XIV's Instagram account gained over 4 million followers – it now stands at 13.4 million, surpassing Francis's 10.5 million followers. And on X, the new pope subsumed Francis's followers and the English language account has 18.6 million followers. Vatican media budget concerns Meanwhile, the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication could be in line for budget cuts. It oversees all the media and communication offices of the Vatican and in 2022, had a budget of €40 million – larger than any other department. But last year, Francis warned the Vatican's media wing to expect budget cuts and told employees to 'exercise a bit more discipline with money'. 'You need to find ways to save more and seek other funds, as the Holy See cannot continue to support you as it does now,' Francis added. In 2021, Francis queried how many people actually consume the content provided by the various arms of the Vatican's media output. 'There are a lot of reasons to be worried about [Vatican] Radio, L'Osservatore, but one that touches my heart: how many people listen to [Vatican] Radio? How many people read L'Osservatore Romano?' Francis asked. L'Osservatore Romano is the daily newspaper of Vatican City. While he praised them for their work, he warned there was a 'danger' that it doesn't arrive where it is supposed to. It comes amid grave concern for the Vatican's finances, with the Vatican Museum being used to plug deficits. The Vatican has over 4,000 staff and there are severe concerns around the Vatican's ability to pay the pensions of lay and clerical employees. The shortfall in the Vatican's pension fund was estimated to total some €631 million in 2022. Earlier this year, Francis had created a Vatican taskforce to encourage donations from lay Catholics 'and other potential benefactors' to aid the asset-rich but cash-poor Vatican. And last year, Francis ordered the third reduction in three years for the pay packages of the cardinals who lead Vatican departments. Elsewhere, the Church is also still reeling from the disastrous Sloane Avenue property deal in London . 60 Sloane Avenue is a former Harrods warehouse and the Vatican is estimated to have lost around €140 million on the deal. In February, the High Court in England ruled that the Vatican's Secretariat of State was deceived by Italian financier Raffaele Mincione in the purchase of the building. And in the Vatican Courts, Cardinal Angelo Becciu was also sentenced to five and a half years in prison for embezzlement of public funds. He was stripped of his Cardinal privileges by the late Francis as a result and was therefore not able to take part in the recent conclave, despite his last minute appeals. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Herald Scotland
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Pope Leo XIV official on social media, deletes personal accounts
"Peace be with you all!" Leo wrote in his post. "This is the first greeting spoken by the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd. 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 and throughout the world." According to a news release from the Dicastery for Communication, the Holy See's communication department, Pope Leo XIV has chosen to "maintain an active social media presence through the official pope accounts on X and Instagram." Pope Leo XIV on social media: Before he was elected pope, Leo XIV was critical of Trump, Vance on social media Pope Leo XIV deletes personal social media accounts Not long after he was named pontiff, Pope Leo XIV's old social media posts begin to surface, notably an X post from February that criticized Vice President JD Vance's stance on immigration. "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others," Leo wrote in the post, which has since been deleted. As of May 14, Pope Leo XIV's old social media accounts, which were under his pre-pontiff name, Robert Francis Prevost, were deleted. Speaking to USA TODAY on May 8, Margaret Susan Thompson, a history professor at Syracuse University, expected the pontiff to switch his postings to the official pontiff accounts. "Social media can be a minefield for divisive commentary, so I imagine he'll use it sparingly, perhaps for simple, pastoral messages (and yes, delivered on the official pope account) like holiday greetings, but not for anything controversial," Thompson said in an email. As of May 14, the official pontiff Instagram account boasted 9.6 million followers and the X account had 10,800 followers. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pope Leo Shares Important Message While Making His Instagram Debut. Why It May Sound Familiar
Pope Leo XIV shared his first Instagram post on Tuesday, May 13 The posts were excerpts from his first address as pontiff, made at St. Peter's Basilica shortly after his election The new pope will 'maintain an active social media presence through the official papal accounts on X and Instagram,' according to the VaticanPope Leo XIV is officially on Instagram! On Tuesday, May 13, the 69-year-old pope shared his first post on the social media platform since succeeding the late Pope Francis last week. The post, which was later shared on X, included a photo of the new pontiff waving to a sea of people from the balcony at St. Peter's Basilica the day of his election last week. 'Peace be with you all!' read the caption, the start of an excerpt from his first address as pontiff. '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 and throughout the world.' The emotional speech also included Leo's tribute to Francis — as well as his promise that "evil will not prevail." The Dicastery for Communication previously announced in a press release that the new pontiff will 'maintain an active social media presence through the official papal accounts on X and Instagram." To date, over 10 million users follow 'pontifex' on Instagram, and nearly 750,000 users follow his X account. The Vatican also announced that any content posted by Francis before his death will be archived. Pope Leo was born in Chicago and gained missionary experience in Peru before serving as the bishop of the city of Chiclayo. In 2023, the former Cardinal was appointed by Francis to the Dicastery for Bishops, which oversees the selection of new bishops from across the globe. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The new pope's next major event will be on Sunday, May 18, when his inauguration mass will take place in St. Peter's Square. Read the original article on People
