A community that exceeds 4 million users between Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram: this is the result of the reorganization of the social media channels of the Holy See’s Secretariat for Communication, which have been unified under the logo Vatican News. In particular, according to a statement from the dicastery, the launch of a Global Page on Facebook has allowed the aggregation of over 3 million followers, who have the possibility of consulting the pages of the six languages currently available (Italian, English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese). With regard to Twitter, the statement continues, the six different linguistic accounts @vaticannews have acquired immediate visual recognition, overcoming the fragmentation of the past. In addition to these accounts there is also a single multilingual profile of Vatican News available on Instagram. To these three social platforms can be added the YouTube channel (in 6 languages), also under the Vatican News logo, which offers users live and on-demand videos concerning the Holy Father’s activities.
According to Monsignor Dario Edoardo Viganò, Prefect of the Holy See’s Secretariat for Communication, “the strengthening of our presence on social networks is one of the effects of the important process of reforming the Vatican media, which is nearing completion–a goal that has been achieved thanks to the intense commitment of our journalists and technicians. As operators in the field of communication, in keeping with the logic of a ‘Church that goes forth,’” continued Msgr. Viganò, “we are called to be among the people. Today this means being present on social networks and the Internet with conviction and responsibility. So our perspective must be very clear. It requires us to focus on the person, on relationships, on the culture of encounter and then, in the last instance, on technology.”