(RNS) At 5:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday (Dec. 12), Pope Benedict XVI reached out to the world of digital seekers — 140 characters at a time. He began with a blessing: "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." By Cathy Lynn Grossman / USA Today.

(RNS) Pope Benedict XVI starts tweeting on Wednesday, and like the Dalai Lama, the pope doesn't plan to follow anyone. Will the tweets be infallible? Will he use OMG or would that be sacrilegious? What holy hashtags will he create? By Regina Brett.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) After more than seven years as pope, Benedict XVI is still known as much for the public relations nightmares that have occurred on his watch as for the battle against secularism and relativism that he wants to wage. Now the pontiff has a Twitter feed and the Vatican has a plan to overhaul its antiquated communications apparatus. By David Gibson.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican has unveiled Pope Benedict XVI's official Twitter account and announced plans to launch an official papal app for smartphones. By Alessandro Speciale

(RNS) A new study finds that social media like Twitter and Facebook tear down economic and geographic barriers to help homeless people connect to their families and support networks. By Chris Lisee.

(RNS) A new survey finds that Americans, while mostly religious, do not use social media to supplement worship and mostly keep their faith private online. By Chris Lisee.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI praised new communications technologies like Twitter on Tuesday (Jan. 24), saying that even "concise phrases, often no longer than a verse from the Bible," can convey "profound thoughts." By Alessandro Speciale. 250.