Pope's Instagram launches with appeal for prayer

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2016 / 03:49 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The official Instagram account of Pope Francis launched on Saturday with a simple request for his followers: “Pray for me.”

The inaugural post, which was translated into nine languages, features a photo of the Pope reverently kneeling in prayer.

The post was made after noon under the handle @Franciscus – which is Latin for Francis. Within 30 minutes of going live, the account had more than ten thousand followers.