Pope gets some 370,000 Twitter followers in 24 hours
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Pope Benedict XVI's twitter account is pictured on a smart phone in front of the Twitter logo displayed on a laptop in this photo illustration taken in Rome Dec 3, 2012. Benedict's new handle on Twitter will be @pontifex, beating out other contenders that had been considered to showcase the thoughts of one of the world's most visible leaders. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
VATICAN CITY (REUTERS) - Even though he hasn't sent a single tweet yet, Pope Benedict had some 370,000 followers on Twitter on Tuesday, a mere 24 hours after the Vatican unveiled his handle: @pontifex.
They included people ranging from simple Roman Catholic faithful to a Jewish head of state.
"Your holiness, welcome to Twitter. Our relations with the Vatican are at their best & can form a basis to further peace everywhere," tweeted Israeli President Shimon Peres, who at 89 is four years older than Benedict.
The Vatican said on Monday Benedict will start tweeting on mostly spiritual topics from December 12.
