Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Nine days ago, the Vatican launched the first personal Twitter accounts for the Pope, giving Pope Benedict XVI the opportunity to tweet in English (via @Pontifex) and in seven other major languages.
The day these accounts were launched, Pope Benedict also invited the world to send him questions about faith via #AskPontifex. He promised to respond to some of these questions nine days later. And now, with tens of thousands of questions in hand, @pontifex has answered: Today, the Pope sent his first Tweet during a live event at the Vatican attended by thousands.
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
This Tweet was immediately retweeted thousands of times, and shortly afterwards @pontifex and its seven related language accounts began responding to several questions tweeted in the past week. The first question, asked by Spanish journalist @jcalderero in Madrid, asked:
How can we celebrate the Year of Faith better in our daily lives?
— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012
The Pope responded:
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
The second question, originally in Portuguese, asked how people can remain hopeful in troubled times. His response:
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
Third, from an American mother:
Any suggestions on how to be more prayerful when we are so busy with the demands of work, families and the world?
— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012
The Pope answered:
Offer everything you do to the Lord, ask his help in all the circumstances of daily life and remember that he is always beside you
— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012
The Pope will be tweeting regularly from here on. Follow him on any of these accounts:
- English: @pontifex
- Spanish: @pontifex_es
- Italian: @pontifex_it
- Portuguese: @pontifex_pt
- German: @pontifex_de
- Polish: @pontifex_pl
- Arabic: @pontifex_ar
- French: @pontifex_fr
Posted by Claire Díaz-Ortiz (@claire)
Social Innovation team
