Pope Leo XIV has taken over the Vatican’s official social media handles. 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!”

As a Chicagoan who teaches at Villanova University, it was surreal for me to watch the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV last Thursday. The new pontiff grew up in Chicago and graduated from Villanova,

Experts see the new pontiff as less confrontational than his predecessor, but willing to stand up for the church's teachings.

Hector Camacho remembers Robert Prevost, set to be formally inaugurated as Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, as a young jeans-wearing missionary from Chicago with broken Spanish, landing in Peru at a time when the country was being torn apart by internal conflict.

ANALYSIS: Through his words, gestures and even liturgical picks, the new Pope is synthesizing what came before him.

Less than a week after Pope Leo XIV took the helm as head of the Catholic Church, he is already making the first social media posts of his papacy and promising to maintain an active digital presence.

Amid the mostly joyous reception for Robert Prevost, who stunned the world when he emerged from the loggia of St. Peter’s as Pope Leo XIV, one cloud on his reputation came from groups alleging that he had mishandled sexual abuse cases.

Louis Prevost defended his inflammatory social media posts, but said he’s been attempting to "bite my tongue" since his younger brother’s surprise election as pope