Pope tweets for the first time

Pope Benedict XVI has joined CJ Willy Mutunga on Twitter as the craze for social media heats up.

The Pope tweeted for the first time on Tuesday reports AP, when he announced the launch of a Vatican news information portal.

Benedict’s tweet read: “Dear Friends, I just launched News.va Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI”.

The Pope is among the growing number of high profile people who have embraced the social media as away of reaching their flock.

Kenyan CJ Willy Mutunga joined Twitter last week and by today he has 6,000 followers.

But the Mutunga only tweeted for a day and has since gone under. Other personalities in Kenya who are active on social media include Martha Karua,Peter Kenneth,Uhuru Kenyatta among others.

The portal http://www.news.va launched by the Pope will for the first time aggregatenews from the Vatican’s various print, online, radio and television media.

With this move it seems the Catholic church wich faces stiff competition especially in Kenya want to reach the Internet-savvy audience and follows forays into Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

According to AP Benedict put the site online himself by tapping an iPad, said Thaddeus Jones, project coordinator and an official with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. Moments later the pope sent the tweet.