The Vatican deletes Pope Benedict XVI’s entire Twitter feed
@Pontifex, we hardly knew ye
By Katie McdonoughTopics: Pope Benedict XVI, Twitter, Life News, News
The Vatican didn’t waste any time before deleting the newly resigned pope’s entire Twitter feed.
Those visiting with @Pontifex (Latin for “bridge builder) on Thursday were greeted by an empty page. The pope emeritus’ picture has been replaced with the Vatican seal and the account name has been changed to “Sede Vacante.” (Latin for “the seat being vacant.” These Vatican types really love their dead languages!)
But as Monsignor Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, told Forbes, the account is simply inactive until the next pope is selected and is not “shut down.”
The Vatican has created an archive of #popetweets on its website, where you can find 140-character papal quips like:
Can’t get enough Benedict news? You can follow the unofficial @PopeBenedictXIV account here.
Katie McDonough is an assistant editor for Salon, focusing on lifestyle. Follow her on Twitter @kmcdonovgh or email her at kmcdonough@salo
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