Pope says Virgin Mary was world’s first “influencer” before social media
‘Influencers’ are some of the most talked people about in 21st century, with popular internet personalities deemed ‘influential’ to the masses, but Pope Francis thinks influencers have been around long before social media.
During a visit to Panama, the Pope addressed an estimated 600,000 people at a ‘World Youth Day’ festival in Panama City.
There, he discussed the issues of social media and of course ‘influencers’, with some surprising insight.
According to a website which tracks the activity of Pope Francis, he said during his address that Mary was an “influencer” but “without wanting or seeking it”.
He made reference to ‘social networks’, and how the mother of Jesus was the woman that had the “biggest influence” on the world without Twitter, Facebook and so on.
“The young woman of Nazareth didn’t appear in the social networks of the time, she wasn’t an influencer, but without wanting it or seeking it, she became the woman that had the biggest influence in history.”
He reiterated this sentiment on Twitter, explaining that by accepting to birth Jesus, Mary became the most influential woman in history, and the first “influencer of God”.
With her “yes”, Mary became the most influential woman in history. Without social networks, she became the first “influencer”: the “influencer” of God. #Panama2019
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) January 27, 2019
The Pope himself has become a fairly influential figure on social media, with his English language account currently approaching 18 million followers.
It seems as though the Pope was trying to convey the message to the youth of Panama that one doesn’t need a large internet following to be influential, even in 2019.