Pope Leo XIV was greeted by hundreds of Catholic content creators in St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday as the Vatican opened a week-long Jubilee dedicated to “digital missionaries.” The American pontiff thanked the priests, nuns and lay influencers for using social media to spread the faith and posed for selfies before celebrating Mass. In a multilingual address, Leo XIV cautioned attendees that evangelisation must not come at the expense of real-world relationships. He urged them to resist fake news, online frivolity and polarisation, saying their task is “not simply to generate content, but to create an encounter between hearts.” Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, head of the Vatican’s evangelisation office, echoed the warning, telling influencers to avoid misleading advertising and commercial gain. Jesuit scholar Rev. David McCallum led sessions encouraging face-to-face dialogue among participants. The gathering forms part of the Vatican’s 2025 Holy Year, which is expected to draw about 32 million pilgrims. Events for the youth Jubilee will culminate this weekend with a vigil and open-air Mass on Rome’s outskirts.