After YouTube, Pope Benedict embraces Facebook

After YouTube, it's the turn of Facebook as Pope Benedict is all for reaching out to
Vatican's followers across the world through the online social networking site.

Yes, the Pontiff is to soon have a Facebook account as part of the Vatican's efforts to embrace online technology to interact with his followers, an initiative which will also
involve iPhone applications and a new portal www.pope2you.net, scheduled to go live on May 24.

While the followers would interact via Facebook, an iPhone application titled The Pope Meets You on Facebook will allows users to send and receive virtual postcards of the
Pontiff along with inspiring text culled from his speeches.

The strategy was outlined by the Jesuit priest Father Federico Lombardi, Head of the Vatican Radio, who is also in-charge of the Holy See press office, leading British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported.

"In an age where the Internet had surpassed all other media except television as the principal source of news, the Church could not ignore communications developments, or allow itself to fall out of touch with them," he said.

Added Archbishop Claudio Celli, Head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communications: "The pope is inviting us to promote a culture of dialogue, of respect and friendship, especially among young people.

"We think this pontifical council itself has to use new technologies to promote new relationships around the world. We must take advantage of what the new technologies are offering us at this very moment."