Pope Benedict XVI Dives Into Twitter

969 views · Published 3 December 2012 · 0:42 · Indexed 25 October 2026

Channel: Slate · 2012 · Science & Technology

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Is it possible to keep biblical teachings and papal encyclicals to 140 characters? 

Pope Benedict XVI hopes so. The holy one will begin tweeting Dec. 12 in six different languages from his @pontifax account in a Q&A format.

The pope will tweet "as often as he wants," according to a Vatican official, and "pontifax" was chosen as his handle because it means "pope" and also "bridge-builder" in Latin. The Vatican hopes its elevated social-media push will help spread the Catholic faith, especially among young people.

Alas, those curious about papal breakfast habits and sport-team preferences will be disappointed: The account will focus exclusively on spiritual matters.

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