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Pope tweets Lent message in 111 characters

Pope Benedict XVI leads the mass in Solemnity of the Chair of St Peter with new Cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on February 19, 2012. UPI/Stefano Spaziani

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Published: Feb. 24, 2012 at 12:03 PM

VATICAN CITY, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI used his Twitter account from the Vatican to issue a Lent message to his Catholic followers.

"The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity," the pope tweeted Thursday using his @Pope2YouVatican account.

Monsignor Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, told Italy's ANSA news agency the Vatican has been increasing its presence in social media, including Twitter and Facebook, in recent years.

"Many of the key Gospel ideas are readily conveyed in just 140 characters," Tighe said.

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