Vatican says Jesus Christ tweeted before there was Twitter

Long before Twitter, Jesus Christ was the original tweeter, according to Vatican cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, because his statements were "brief and full of meaning."

At a conference Wednesday, Ravasi said Christ "used tweets before everyone else, with elementary phrases made up of fewer than 45 characters like 'Love one another’."

“A bit like in television today, he delivered a message through a story or a symbol,” Ravasi said.

As the Vatican continues to grow its Internet presence -- Pope Francis has more than three million followers on just his English-language Twitter -- Ravasi says the clergy must embrace modern digital tools.

“If a cleric, a pastor is not interested in communication, they are defying their duty,” Ravasi said.