(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/121212-pope-tweet-3a.photoblog600.jpg)Vincenzo Pinto / AFP - Getty ImagesPope Benedict XVI clicks on a tablet computer to send his first Twitter message during his weekly general audience Wednesday. By Ian Johnston and Claudio Lavanga, NBC NewsAfter days of expectation and buildup, the leader of the world's billion-plus Roman Catholics finally did it: He tweeted.
Follow @NBCNewsWorld (https://twitter.com/NBCNewsWorld) Pope Benedict XVI sent his first message on Twitter at about 5:28 a.m. ET Wednesday to a perhaps somewhat different kind of follower.
"Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart," he said on his English-language account. (https://twitter.com/Pontifex)
He also tweeted the same in seven other languages: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Polish, Arabic and French.
"How can we celebrate the Year of Faith better in our daily lives?" Benedict tweeted a little later, then added, "By speaking with Jesus in prayer, listening to what he tells you in the Gospel and looking for him in those in need."
NBCNews
I can't imagine how many retweets the man would get.
Nyc one