Denver, Colo., Jul 2, 2011 / 15:32 pm
Pope Benedict XVI’s first tweet has catapulted the Vatican’s presence on Twitter to new heights.
Thousands of Twitter users retweeted the Pope’s June 28 announcement that launched the Vatican website News.va, and thousands more subscribed to the Vatican’s English-language Twitter account.
The English channel follower count stood at over 65,000 as of Friday evening, an increase of almost 54,000 from the period before the Pope’s message.
“Dear Friends, I just launched News.va,” the Pope said through an iPad tablet device. “Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI.”