From rebuking the Vice President of the United States to taking a stance against the death penalty, Pope Leo XIV has shown no fear in expressing his opinions on social media. When J.D. Vance stated that Christians should first love their families, then their neighbors, then their community members, and finally their compatriots, Robert Prevost did not hesitate to comment. He used theology to contradict the Vice President, whose religious views he had rebuked on several occasions. "J.D. Vance is mistaken: Jesus does not ask us to categorize our love for others," Prevost posted, which received tens of thousands of likes. Bento XVI was the first pope to tweet on the @Pontifex account in 2012, but Prevost was the first to become pope with a long history of social media participation. He opened his account on X 14 years ago, during which he published over 400 messages, expressing his opinion on sensitive topics such as racism, sexual abuse by clergy, the pandemic, the George Floyd case, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As one would expect from an American who lived for decades in Peru, immigration is an important theme for the new pope, who shared criticisms of Donald Trump's migration policies. In 2017, Prevost published an article on his account stating that the United States was living "a dark era" of its history due to Trump's ban on refugee entry into the country during his first term. Days after Floyd's death at the hands of a police officer in 2020, Prevost called on his fellow Church leaders to speak out. "We need to hear more from Church leaders, reject racism, and seek justice," he posted. Prevost also called on the Vatican to expel clergy who had sexually abused minors. "If you are a victim of sexual abuse by a priest, report it," he declared to a Peruvian newspaper this month. In 2014, Prevost expressed opposition to the death penalty: "It is inadmissible," he posted on X, which he repeated in interviews, masses, and public statements. "We must always be in favor of life," he told Peruvian journalists. The new pope uses humor, as when he said that many people are intelligent, although most are asymptomatic. The pace of his social media posts increased during the pandemic, but it is unclear if he will maintain it during his papacy.
https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/noticias/mundo/o-novo-papa-um-usuario-sem-tabus-das-redes-sociais/