The Pope has a Twitter account, @pontifex

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Pope Benedict XVI has finally entered the Twittersphere, joining more than 500 million people around the world actively using the social networking service. Though he has yet to tweet, the religious leader already has more than 86,000 followers.

According to the Vatican's announcement, the Pope will answer a faith-related question for his first tweet on December 12. Followers can send in questions using the hashtag #askpontifex or #B16.

Vatican communications adviser Greg Burke told reporters that the Latin handle @Pontifex was chosen because it means both "pope" and "bridge-builder."

"We are going to get a spiritual message. The Pope is not going to be walking around with a Blackberry or an iPad and no-one is going to be putting words into the Pope's mouth," Burke said.

The Pope's official Twitter page.

[BBC]