---
title: "Vatican Confused by How Pope Account “Liked” Sexy Pic"
description: "The Vatican is investigating why Pope Francis' official Instagram account accidentally liked a Brazilian model's revealing picture."
date: "2020-11-20"
modified: "2020-11-20"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/vatican-confused-pope-account-liked-sexy-pic"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
tags:
  - "instagram"
  - "pope"
  - "the digest"
---

# Vatican Confused by How Pope Account “Liked” Sexy Pic

![The Vatican is investigating why Pope Francis' official Instagram account accidentally liked a Brazilian model's revealing picture.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/vatican-confused-pope-account-liked-sexy-pic.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Korean Culture and Information Service\</em\>*

## Holy See

Pope Francis' official Instagram account did an oopsie this week: It "liked" a revealing photo of Brazilian model Natalia Garibotto wearing a schoolgirl outfit.

"I can teach you a thing or two," Garibotto's post suggestively asked. It seems the Vatican was ready, figuratively, to listen to her sermons.

And now the Vatican is professing confusion over how the "like" happened at all.

## PR Blitz

Garibotto's management company quickly jumped on the once-in-a-lifetime PR opportunity — a Hail Mary from the Bishop of Rome himself — claiming it had "received the POPE's OFFICIAL BLESSING," as [*The Guardian* reports](<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/19/pope-francis-instagram-like-brazil-model-natalia-garibotto>).

So who double tapped Garibotto's post? Could it really have been Pope Francis himself? That's unlikely, as a whole team of people are in charge of managing the Pope's social media accounts, including Instagram.

## Hashtag Blessed

A Vatican spokesperson told *The Guardian* on Thursday that it "ruled out that "the ‘like’ came from the Holy See, and it has turned to Instagram for explanations."

Garibotto, however, took the blessing in good stride, joking [on Twitter](<https://twitter.com/NataaGataa/status/1327284334001315840>) that "at least I'm going to heaven."

**READ MORE:** [Vatican asks Instagram how pope's account liked photo of Brazilian model](<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/19/pope-francis-instagram-like-brazil-model-natalia-garibotto>) \[*The Guardian*\]

**More on the Pope:** *[The Pope Is Praying for AI That Serves Humanity](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/pope-praying-ai-serves-humanity>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)