Pope Benedict XVI tweeted his first three messages from an Apple iPad Wednesday morning to more than 1 million followers on his newly started @Pontifex account.
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
Already, the social media strategists at the Vatican are thinking about how best to engage the pope's Twitter followers, asking questions about Catholicism as a prompt for engagement.
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
The pope's first @Pontifex tweet -- which was typed by an assistant but sent by Benedict -- already has nearly 35,000 retweets. According to the Vatican, papal tweets will from here on out be typed and sent by assistants, but written with Benedict's guidance.
Benedict is only following seven other Twitter profiles, all of which are other papal accounts that translate his tweets into other languages. Combined, his eight accounts have more than 1 million followers.
Benedict previously made papal social media history in June by becoming the first pope to tweet, though his message was sent through a Vatican account. His @Pontifex account -- Latin for "pontiff" -- was opened earlier this month.
The pope joins other notable religious leaders on Twitter, including the Dalai Lama.
Are you following Pope Benedict? How should the pope continue to use Twitter? Share your ideas in the comments.