The Pope Joins Twitter

Pope Benedict XVI(@Pontifex) became the first Pope to join Twitter. The Vatican announced that he would open his Twitter account on December 3 for the first time and he didn't make any posting until December 12. While he hadn't been posted any comments in his Twitter, the feed had attracted more than 70,000 followers within hours. His closest religious rival on Twitter is the Dalai Lama whose followers over 5 million, and If we assume that the same proportion of the Catholoics who are following Dalai Lama follow the Pope, he'll come in at number 22, which is just behind Eminem. Also, social media experts say the Pope will be lucky to break into the top 20 of the site's most followed people. According to Greg Burke, senior media advisor to the Vatican, '@Pontifex' is appropriate for several reasons.

• 'The handle is a good one. It means "pope" and it also means "bridge builder",' he said.
• 'The Pope wants to reach out to everyone, he told a news conference.'

The Pope's Twitter page is designed in yellow and white - the colors of the Vatican, with a backdrop of the Vatican and his picture. It may change during different liturgical seasons of the year and when he is away from the Vatican on trips.

The Vatican had invited the faithful to send their questions to a special Twitter account, #askpontifex.

While @Pontifex will be the Pope's primary account in English, he will oversee many more accounts in major languages that offer translation of his Tweets, including these:

• Spanish: @pontifex_es
• Italian: @pontifex_it
• Portuguese: @pontifex_pt
• German: @pontifex_de
• Polish: @pontifex_pl
• Arabic: @pontifex_ar
• French: @pontifex_fr

The Pope has officially tweeted for the first time, saying that he was "pleased to get in touch" with many expectations on December 12. 

Within hours, the number of his followers had exceeded one million, with more than 800,000 in English alone - one of eight languages he will tweet. Furthermore, Benedict sent two more tweets later, in response to questions of faith sent in by Catholics from around the world. But not all of the messages from his followers are religious. Some of the Tweets were jokey, including "What brand of beans should I stockpile to prepare for Amageddon?", "Who is your favorite character from Father Ted?" and "Are you sending everyone who asks you stupid questions on Twitter to hell?"

Vatican officials have said the Pope will not personally make every Tweet, but each one will be approved by him and will be drawn from his speeches, thoughts and theological writings. Many people are watching the Pope's Tweet with a huge interest, and they wonder how much his tweet would influence to the followers. The Pope's appearance on Twitter suggests people can feel like contacting with him wherever they are, and the possibility of getting inspired from one of the world's most influential religious leaders. 

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