@pontifex Twitter account to be inactive after Pope Benedict resigns
Posted February 27, 2013 8:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Pope Benedict gained more than 1.5 million followers in less than three months on Twitter but the Vatican has confirmed there will be no new posts on the @pontifex account once he officially resigns.
“The Twitter account @pontifex was created for the exclusive use of the Pope. @pontifex will be inactive during the interim period between the renouncement of Pope Benedict XVI and the election of his successor,” Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, said in a statement.
The next pope can use the handle if he wants.
Benedict, 85, started the Twitter account on Dec. 3 and racked up 30,000 followers in a matter of hours. He sent his first tweet on Dec. 12.
Benedict announced his resignation on Feb. 11, citing his failing health as the reason. He’s the first pontiff in six centuries to step down. He held his last general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday.
