Pope Francis' official Instagram account "liked" the photo of a model, although there is no evidence that the endorsement comes from the pontiff himself.
(CNN) ––
The Vatican is seeking an explanation from Instagram, after the official account of Pope Francis gave a “like” (“like” in English) to the photo of a Brazilian model in lingerie.
An image of model Natalia Garibotto, showing her wearing schoolgirl-style underwear, received a "like" from Francisco's verified account, the Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported.
It is unclear when the "like" of the pope's account of the photograph, which shows Garibotto's scantily clad buttocks, first occurred.
However, the interaction was visible on November 13, before the "like" was removed the next day, after the CNA contacted the Holy See Press Office for comment, the news agency said. .
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Now, the Vatican has indicated that it is trying to get to the bottom of the incident.
"We are in contact with Instagram to find out what happened," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told CNN on Friday.
Facebook, owner of Instagram, told CNN: "The issue is currently being investigated in close contact with the Holy See."
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Some 7.4 million people follow the pontiff on his official Instagram profile, but the account does not follow anyone.
There is no evidence that the pope "liked" the image on Instagram.
COY Co, Garibotto's management company, posted about the incident on its own Instagram account.
"COY Co. has received the OFFICIAL BLESSING OF THE POPE," he wrote.
Garibotto also responded to the incident, posting on Twitter on November 13: "At least I'll go to heaven."
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