Pope Francis is Getting Ready to Take to Instagram
Having already racked up more than 3 million followers on Twitter, Pope Francis is ready to spread some photographic love soon with a full-on Instagram presence, according to Vatican sources.
The Vatican news agency already has a @newsva Instagram feed but has been keeping it low-key (about 1,700 followers) as it figures out a strategy. Forget about Geraldo-style selfies or “here’s what I had for dinner” shots, however. Vatican media folks say the focus will be on inspiration rather than revelation.
Jose-Miguel Chavarria Mugica of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications told the Huffington Post that Instagram offerings from the pontiff will be “inspiring scenes that recall the presence of God in our lives: Sometimes we will find objects, or (signs) used as metaphors, or persons sharing with us the joy of being Christians.”
Early postings on the Vatican feed are all over the map, photographically speaking: from a restrained black-and-white portrait of the Pope, to heavily-vignetted scenic shots, to a stitch-it-yourself panorama.
Keep in mind that although there is a @PopeFrancis account on Instagram, it is neither official not institutional according to the Vatican. And the Instagram incarnation of @pontifex, the pope’s Twitter handle, offers nothing more than a picture of an anonymous living room and numerous comments offering to buy the account.
(via Huffington Post)
