Pope Francis joins Instagram to ‘walk with you along the path of mercy’

The Pope is on Instagram. A photo of the Pope praying was posted on his account, called franciscus, on Saturday morning, along with the caption “Pray for me” in nine different languages. In an accompanying @Pontifex tweet, Francis said he was “beginning a new journey” on the service in order “to walk with you along the path of mercy and the tenderness of God.”

This moment was anticipated earlier this week, when the Vatican confirmed reports that Francis was planning to join the Facebook-owned photo sharing site. That prompted some speculation that we might be treated to traditional Instagram fare like photos of sugar-dusted Belgian waffles at the Vatican, but, alas, it is not to be. Some selfies could be in the works though — Francis took the first known Papal selfie in 2013. Francis’ appearance on Instagram joins his Twitter presence, where he has close to 9 million followers.