Hold onto your phone: Pope Francis has officially joined Instagram.

We were all hoping this day would come and it finally has! Building on top of the popularity of his NINE Twitter accounts, Pope Francis will now master a new social media platform, joining the list of Instagram accounts guaranteed to make you smile.

Just hours ago, he shared the exciting news with his nearly 9 MILLION English-speaking followers, tweeting:

Securing the handle @franciscus, Pope Francis — or, rather, the Vatican’s social media team (yes, that exists) — posted his first snap at 7:27 AM EST and captioned it in nine languages:

“Pray for me

Rezad por mí

Pregate per me

صلوا من أجلي

Priez pour moi

Módlcie się za mnie

Rezem por mim

Betet für mich

Orate pro me”

Just a few hours later came a second photo, which was seen by 621K followers and counting. “Instagram will help recount the papacy through images, to enable all those who wish to accompany and know more about Pope Francis’ pontificate to encounter his gestures of tenderness and mercy,” Msgr. Dario E. Viganò, prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communications, explained in a statement.

The big news comes only a month after Pope Francis met with Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom in Rome. The social media mogul couldn’t help but share his excitement, captioning this photo: “Watching Pope Francis post his first photo to Instagram today was an incredible moment. @franciscus, welcome to the Instagram community! Your messages of humility, compassion and mercy will leave a lasting mark.”

Is it too much to hope for some papal #selfies showcasing the 79-year-old’s charm and #PopeLife? We hope not! He is, after all, the “Cool Pope” for a reason.

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Barbara Pavone
Barbara Pavone is a pop culture-obsessed writer based in beautiful (but ridiculously cold) Montreal, Canada. When she's not working, she's sipping on a Pimm's Cup and daydreaming about her celebrity hero, Saint West.