As Pope Francis continues to please the masses by worrying about the environment, fast-tracking annulments, and not judging people for being gay, it can be hard to come up with new ways to express excitement at just how great he is. With his arrival in the U.S. imminent, the Catholic network Aleteia.org with the help of Swyft Media has come up with a solution: popemoji.
The perfectly named popemanteau feature 52 pope-themed stickers and 14 animated GIFs tied to his American visit, including Pope Francis running up the steps of Philadelphia Museum of Art a la Rocky, waving from a New York City cab, and hanging out by the Washington and Lincoln memorials. There’s even one of him tweeting. (The keyboard app is available for both iOS and Android and can be used just like any other third-party keyboard app.)
“It was natural to make [emoji] an element of our digital effort to support Pope Francis’ visit … the Pope has a great sense of humor, is totally approachable and dedicated to engaging people where they communicate,” Kathleen Hessert, founder of Sports Media Challenge, which is overseeing the digital aspect of Aleteia.org’s effort, said in a press release.
Indeed, while some might object to the pope’s face being used to express things other than their wholesome intentions, the idea behind the emojis seems to be in line with the pope’s goals: getting more young people excited about the church.
