The election of Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV on May 8, 2025 was not only surprising for his election, but also for the speed with which his image and story went viral on social networks.
In a matter of hours, an avalanche of photos, videos and posts from his personal and professional life invaded the platforms, allowing millions of people to meet the new pontiff before his first public appearance.
This phenomenon presents itself as a challenge for the Catholic Church, since the papal figure, once shrouded in a halo of mystery, is now blurred in the vast digital archive of the modern era.
“History has a more vivid memory than tradition”
By: Gabriel E. Levy B.
The election of Prevost as Leo XIV marks a milestone in the modern history of the Church. Although the public image of popes had been transformed in recent decades, especially with Francis and his approach to the faithful through informal and spontaneous gestures, never had a pontiff been so well known when he took office.
Robert Francis Prevost, bishop of Chiclayo and former prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, was already a visible figure, not only within the Church, but also outside it, thanks to his participation in social causes and the dissemination of his life on digital platforms.
The Italian sociologist Giovanni Sartori, in his work Homo Videns, had anticipated the radical changes in contemporary societies, influenced by the visual media: “Seeing replaces understanding.”
In the case of Leo XIV, the phenomenon is even more complex, since the Pope is not only seen, but his personal history is exposed and publicly debated. The boundaries between the figure of spiritual authority and the exposure of one’s private life are blurred in an era where everything is documented and shared without filters.
“The Pope as an involuntary influencer”
The presence of Leo XIV on social networks since his election has been overwhelming.
The pope, before becoming pontiff, had already starred in numerous moments that were recorded and distributed on the internet: videos of his interventions in social causes, photos of his time as a priest and bishop, as well as public statements on issues such as poverty, social justice and reconciliation.
The way in which his public figure was constructed through these means is a clear example of how technology has changed the perception of spiritual leaders.
The Spanish theologian Juan José Tamayo, in his book Church and Society, explains that the Church today faces a fundamental challenge: “Credibility is no longer built only through the word, but also through the image.” And this challenge is reflected in the figure of Pope Leo XIV.
The faithful not only seek out his homilies or his interventions in the Vatican, but also analyze his past life, his previous positions and, above all, the images that have remained of him.
In an age where everything can be shared instantly, the Pope becomes a figure who is not only observed, but also evaluated and judged by millions of people.
The Church, therefore, is faced with a dilemma: how to preserve the solemnity of the papal figure when that figure is constantly subjected to public scrutiny? How do you maintain reverence for the Pope when everything in your life is documented and available to everyone?
“The images that cannot be deleted”
The digital archive of Leo XIV is not just a personal story; It is a registry built by millions of users.
As the sociologist Manuel Castells has pointed out in The Information Age, social networks not only transform the way we communicate, but also reconfigure the relations of power and authority. In the case of Leo XIV, his story is not only narrated from the Vatican, but also from the platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Images of his life, from his early days as a priest to his work at the Dicastery for Bishops, are accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
This phenomenon of exposure has created a new dynamic between the Church and its parishioners.
Before, the papal figure was built from the Vatican, with careful management of the image of the pontiff. Now, the image of the Pope is built through social networks, where messages, photos and videos are interpreted and recontextualized by users.
This hyperexposure comes at a cost.
“The past is not forgotten, it is retweeted”
Since his election as Leo XIV, the figure of Robert Francis Prevost has generated a remarkable wave of attention, especially in Latin America, where he served for years as bishop of Chiclayo, in Peru.
His pastoral work in vulnerable communities, especially during the pandemic, when he facilitated the acquisition of oxygen plants for local hospitals, has been widely disseminated and celebrated on social networks.
Images of his travels through rural areas, his masses in improvised chapels and his closeness to excluded populations have reinforced his profile as an empathetic and committed spiritual leader.
These images, far from generating controversy, have consolidated a positive perception of his pontificate in many sectors of the continent.
Rather than having to issue clarifications, the Vatican has seized on this narrative to highlight the pastoral and human face of Leo XIV, projecting his Latin American experience as a symbol of continuity with Francis’ legacy.
However, this exhibition has also raised questions about the pope’s role on the global stage and how he will balance his closeness to social causes with the institutional demands of the Vatican.
In this sense, Pope Leo XIV is confronted with a reality that his predecessors did not know: a world in which memory is no longer an institutional construct, but a constant battle to control the narrative in a global information network.
In conclusion, the election of Robert Francis Prevost as Leo XIV not only marked a milestone within the Catholic Church, but also underscores the challenges of a pontificate in the age of hyperconnectivity.
The papal figure, already complex and symbolic, is now immersed in a digital environment that redefines his authority and image.
In times of virality, the pope becomes a figure who, while still sacred, is also constantly under the gaze of a global audience.
References:
- Sartori, G. (1998). Homo Videns: The remote-controlled society. Taurus.
- Tamayo, J. J. (2012). Church and Society. Editorial Trotta.
- Castells, M. (2001). The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture. Alliance.
- Vatican News (2025). Biography of Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV. vaticannews.va
- El País (2025). León, Francisco’s last move. elpais.com
