Every once in a while, Pope Francis reminds us that he has a sense of humour.
“With her ‘yes,’ Mary became the most influential woman in history. Without history, she became the first ‘influencer’: the influencer of God,” the Pope tweeted Sunday afternoon.
The tweet quickly went viral, with responses coming in from across the Twitter-verse poking fun at the Pope’s attempt at humour.
The tweet came after the Pope spoke at a vigil for World Youth Day in Panama City, which was reportedly attended by hundreds of thousands of people.
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During his speech, the Pope encouraged young people to chase their dreams. Those in attendance included the presidents of Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Portugal.
“You, dear people, are not the future but the now of God,” he said.
Earlier on Sunday, the Pope had lunch with 10 young pilgrims, who were reportedly shocked by his genuine interest in their questions.
WATCH: Pope says weary Church ‘wounded by her own sin,’ in reference to abuse
Brenda Noriega, a Mexican-born youth minister from San Bernardino, Calif., said she told Francis that the sex abuse scandal in the United States was a “crisis right now we cannot avoid talking about.” She said Francis called abuse a “horrible crime” and assured her that the church was committed to supporting victims.
While his attempt to connect with young people on social media may have fallen somewhat flat, his constituents know his heart is in the right place.
“For me, as a youth minister, that means a lot,” Noriega told reporters after the luncheon. “Youth ministers, we have been with people who have been angry but sometimes we forget about prayer. We react too easy and too fast. So I think what His Holiness is telling us and the church is to first pray, build community and not forget about accompaniment.”
—With files from the Associated Press.
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