Pope Francis has proven himself a fan of the digital savvy. As part of a recent educational conference at the Vatican, the Pope met with a handful of YouTube influencers, and praised the group on their work.
Twelve YouTube stars from six different continents were invited to address the 266th leader of the Catholic Church. The group included Louise Pentland of British vlog Sprinkle of Glitter, who the Pope told: “I am glad that you carry out the type of work you said, following the line of beauty, it’s a great thing.”
He continued that beauty vlogs can be a powerful social tool: “To preach beauty and show beauty helps neutralise aggression”, and that the digital world is another outlet for connection: “You can create a virtual identity; you belong to this circle at least virtually. From that you can start taking a path of optimism and hope.”
Pope Francis doesn’t just talk the talk – the religious leader has established a strong foothold online, launching a papal Instagram in March which now has 2.5 million followers. He has also claimed the internet is “a gift from God”, and even invited former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt to the Vatican earlier this year.
