VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV has taken over the Vatican’s official social media handles, with a first Instagram post on Tuesday repeating the first words he said to the world as pope: “Peace be with you all!” The @Pontifex – Pope Leo XIV post featured some of the photos that have documented the first days of history’s first American pope.

Pope Leo XIV called for a kinder, gentler mass media, one that speaks up for those with no voice and in defense of free speech, and urged regimes around the world that jail journalists to set them free.

Pope Leo XIV held his first public audience with members of the media, saying the church stood in solidarity with them for "seeking the truth."