The Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI will be joining Twitter at the beginning of the month, but the first papal Tweet only arrived today, December 12, 2012, blasting away suspicions that this was doomsday – if you needed any reassurance. Sure, the pope didn’t speak of the Apocalypse. Instead, he just blessed his followers:
Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart.
— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012
12/12/12 is an important date in social networking history. the Pope joined Twitter:
He followed up the first tweet with four more:
How can we celebrate the Year of Faith better in our daily lives? — Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012
By speaking with Jesus in prayer, listening to what he tells you in the Gospel and looking for him in those in need
— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012
How can faith in Jesus be lived in a world without hope? — Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012
We can be certain that a believer is never alone. God is the solid rock upon which we build our lives and his love is always faithful
— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012
Five tweets in a such a short time looks like committed tweeting, but will the Pope be able to keep up, or is Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli of the Vatican’s communications department doing all the work? According to several media reports, the Pope did write and send out the first tweets himself. Does anyone expect the Pope himself to manage all 8 Twitter (Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese, German, Polish, Arabic and French) accounts created today?