The Italian cardinal leading Pope Benedict XVI’s Lenten retreat has stolen the limelight by tweeting and podcasting his reflections, signaling that detachment from the outside world doesn’t have to mean a total media blackout. The high-flying papal retreat preacher Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi is tweeting his talks in Italian and English Twitter accounts, @CardRavasi and @CardRavasi_en. Cardinal Read more
On December 12, Pope Benedict, like no other pope, opened himself up to the world on Twitter. Twitter is a disruptive technology; it challenges, changes and threatens. Introducing the pope to Twitter was always likely to involve some risk. But, however, we are told the Vatican understands the risk and remains hopeful the involvement on Read more
Sixty percent of Pacific islanders have access to a mobile phone. Almost a million are Facebook users. As mobile phone use sweeps through the Pacific it is bringing a revolution of change in its wake. “In PNG in April social media brought together thousands of people for a political protest. Islanders have become more literate, more familiar with market prices Read more
The People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced three Christian bloggers on Monday in a case that has drawn international criticism. A report by UCA News said the bloggers were charged with spreading anti-government propaganda under Article 88 of the country’s criminal code. The three are founding members of the Free Journalist Club, an Read more
An Italian company “Reputation Manager” has published a study claiming to show that Pope Benedict is having difficulty on the Web getting his message across. The study, published on “Expansion”, shows that unlike the Dalai Lama, almost half of the Holy Father’s online content has a ‘negative tone’ and a ‘prejudicial impact’. The research was Read more
A British Canon, Rev Paul Shakerley, has apologised for the rather unholy language he placed on his Facebook page. Peter Burrows, bishop of Doncaster, met with Shakerley and said the Canon regretted the language and had removed the entry on Facebook. “Whilst meant in a jocular sense, he recognizes that some of the language was Read more