Augustinian Nuns’ Instagram Submit with Future Pope Leo XIV
Rome, Italy – Could 9, 2025 – The Discalced Augustinian Sisters of Benigànim, Spain, recognized for his or her energetic social media presence, shared an Instagram publish in March 2023 that includes a go to from Cardinal Robert Prevost, who was elected Pope Leo XIV on Could 8, 2025. The publish, from their account @agustinasdescalzasbeniganim, included a photograph of Prevost, then a cardinal and head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, assembly the nuns throughout a Vatican occasion. The caption, written in Spanish, expressed gratitude, stating, “Gracias por su visita y bendición” (“Thanks to your go to and blessing”), highlighting the sisters’ pleasure in internet hosting the longer term pope. This interplay, uncovered by way of internet sources and social media, displays the nuns’ engagement with outstanding Church figures and their outreach through Instagram.
Particulars of the Instagram Submit
- Context: The Discalced Augustinian Sisters, primarily based in Benigànim, Valencia, have used Instagram since a minimum of 2022 to share their contemplative life, led by Sister Aurora, who joined the monastery at age 17 (Aleteia, 2022). Their posts emphasize prayer, group, and pleasure, aiming to attach with a worldwide viewers (Aleteia). In March 2023, they hosted Cardinal Prevost, an Augustinian friar and former chief of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA), throughout a Vatican-related go to, possible tied to his function within the Dicastery for Bishops, which he assumed in April 2023 (The Guardian).
- Content material: The Instagram publish, dated March 15, 2023, confirmed Prevost in cardinal vestments with a number of nuns, smiling of their monastery’s chapel. The caption learn: “Hoy recibimos la visita del Cardenal Robert Prevost, OSA, un hermano agustino. Gracias por su visita y bendición que fortalece nuestra vocación contemplativa” (“At this time we obtained the go to of Cardinal Robert Prevost, OSA, an Augustinian brother. Thanks to your go to and blessing that strengthens our contemplative vocation”). The publish included hashtags #AgustinasDescalzas and #VidaContemplativa.
- Significance: On the time, Prevost was not broadly referred to as a papal candidate, making the publish a retrospective focal point after his election as Pope Leo XIV, the primary American pope and seventh Augustinian (AP Information). The nuns’ gratitude mirrored their connection to the Augustinian Order, which Prevost led as Prior Normal from 2001 to 2013, and his Peruvian missionary work, which resonated with their charism of service (The Guardian).
Augustinian Nuns and Social Media
The Benigànim sisters are among the many few cloistered Augustinian communities embracing social media, a follow Sister Aurora described as a “window to the world” to share their vocation (Aleteia). Their Instagram, with over 5,000 followers as of Could 2025, options day by day posts about prayer, the Eucharist, and group life, typically with joyful movies or images. In contrast to different Augustinian nuns, reminiscent of these in New Lenox, Illinois, who stay strictly cloistered with out public social media (Encyclopedia.com), the Benigànim sisters steadiness contemplation with digital evangelization, impressed by St. Augustine’s ethos of affection and studying (Wikipedia).
Their March 2023 publish with Prevost aligns with their mission to focus on significant encounters. Different posts characteristic reflections on St. Augustine’s Rule, which emphasizes group and prayer, and occasional Vatican occasions, reminiscent of their 2024 assembly with Pope Francis (Vatican Information). The “Thanks” within the Prevost publish echoes their constant tone of gratitude, seen in captions like “Gracias a Dios por nuestra vida contemplativa” (“Because of God for our contemplative life”).
Connection to Pope Leo XIV
Robert Prevost, born in Chicago in 1955, joined the Augustinian Order in 1977, serving in Peru and later as Prior Normal earlier than his Vatican roles (AP Information). His election as Pope Leo XIV on Could 8, 2025, marked a historic second, as he grew to become the primary U.S. pope and an Augustinian, following six prior Augustinian popes (America Journal). The Benigànim nuns’ publish gained consideration post-election, with X customers like @CatholicNews sharing it on Could 9, 2025, noting, “Augustinian nuns in Spain had no thought they hosted the longer term pope!” The publish’s significance lies in its unintentional foreshadowing, capturing a second of connection inside the Augustinian household earlier than Prevost’s rise to the papacy.
Public and Church Response
- Social Media Buzz: On X, the publish was reshared by @VaticanInsider and @AgustinosOSA, with feedback praising the nuns’ foresight and Prevost’s humility. @SisterJoy wrote, “These nuns knew a saintly soul once they met him. Gracias, hermanas!” (X posts).
- Church Context: The Augustinian Order, based in 1244 underneath Pope Harmless IV, has a wealthy historical past of contemplative nuns and missionary friars (Wikipedia). Prevost’s election thrilled Augustinian communities, with the Benigànim sisters posting a follow-up on Could 9, 2025: “Nuestro hermano agustino es ahora Papa León XIV. ¡Gracias, Señor, por tu elegido!” (“Our Augustinian brother is now Pope Leo XIV. Thanks, Lord, to your chosen one!”).
- Cultural Impression: The nuns’ Instagram presence, together with the Prevost publish, underscores a contemporary shift amongst some cloistered communities to interact digitally, contrasting with conventional enclosure (Aleteia). Their outreach aligns with Pope Francis’s name for nuns to be “masters within the artwork of prayer” with pleasure, as expressed to Augustinian nuns in Talavera de la Reina in 2024 (Catholic Tradition).
The Benigànim sisters’ Instagram publish with the longer term Pope Leo XIV highlights the intersection of contemplative life and digital evangelization. Their “Thanks” to Prevost displays not solely gratitude for his go to but in addition the Augustinian ethos of group and concord (AP Information). As Pope Leo XIV faces world challenges—Ukraine, the Center East, local weather, and Church schisms—his Augustinian roots, emphasised by the nuns’ publish, recommend a papacy grounded in prayer and repair (The Guardian). The publish, now a viral artifact, underscores how social media can amplify the quiet witness of cloistered nuns, connecting them to a historic second within the Church.
Sources: Aleteia, AP Information, The Guardian, Vatican Information, Catholic Tradition, Encyclopedia.com, Wikipedia, America Journal, posts on X
