Twitter feeding the Pope's new habit The Pope has opened a Twitter feed, under the handle @Pontifex. It is growing at the rate of around 150,000 followers a day in spite of the fact that he has yet to tweet and that he is following only seven others - all of them himself in other languages. Robert Shrimsley Welcome to the official Twitter page of his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. All views are our Lord's. Retweets should not be seen as endorsements or indication of infallibility. @Pontifex Salve Twitter. I will be broadcasting shortly, #followfriday @Father @Son @HolySpirit @rupertmurdoch @Pontifex 100,000 followers before lunch on day one. Lambeth Palace has 6k followers LOL. @Pontifex What do you mean the Holy Spirit hasn't followed me back? @Pontifex My apologies blessed flock; that was meant to be a direct message. blessings on all your heads. @Pontifex Who is @SallyBercow? @Pontifex. No @pantifax I do not think I will be following u. I do not want to get girls fast nor will I send a twitpic of me in my underpants. @Pontifex At 499k followers, help me over the half million mark. @Pontifex Yay @Pontifex Give Sturm and Drang to marketing dept. 500k followers nice but as percentage of 1bn flock, derisory. Justin Bieber has 31m & he's fallible. @Pontifex Advised to do more shout-outs to well-followed people to boost awareness and followers. @Pontifex @kimkardashian You are going to hell #justsaying @Pontifex @kimkardashian Contraception is an abomination but I am prepared to issue Papal exemption for your family. @Pontifex @Ladygaga This is purgatory calling you. You have a faulty conception of human nature. @Pontifex @Ladygaga Is that so? Well FWIW, I think you'll find I'm infallible. @Pontifex Success. My Klout score now higher than Lucy Kellaway's. And that's with no damnation algorithm. They that honour him, so shall he honour. @Pontifex Meeting with US lawyers on child abuse lawsuits. Miserable ambulance chasers. @Pontifex What did I say? @Pontifex Advised to give more of myself in these tweets to boost followers. Me in big hat: twitpic. @Pontifex John Paul II - you're a saint. @Pontifex Taking nominations for eternal damnation #whogoestohell @Pontifex It's not looking good, Gaga. #whogoestohell @Pontifex Warm salutations to Justin Welby on new job as head of splinter heretic wing. 13k followers u must be v proud #onetruepath #nowomenpriests @Pontifex I lost two stone on the acai berry diet. Click here for details. @Pontifex Most humble apologies, flock; my account has been hacked by dieticians. Normal service has been resumed. @Pontifex Get me Luca Brasi. I want those dieticians found. @Pontifex What? So how do I send a private message then? @Pontifex Warning to my blessed flock. @AvignonPope is not an official Twitter feed. @Pontifex I see what you are doing @AvignonPope. You are a heretic and will burn in cauldrons of hell for eternity. @Pontifex Anyone following @AvignonPope - we are collecting your names. You will all be damned. @Pontifex Meeting with Irish lawyers on child abuse lawsuits. @Pontifex back to Regensburg for speech on faith and Islam. @Pontifex It was the Byzantine emperor who said that; I was just quoting him. Really, I don't think Islam evil and inhuman. Fixing meeting with imams. @Pontifex @CopticPope No, I cannot make bridge this weekend. Try @BishopofAntioch @Pontifex My new book Infancy Narratives - Jesus of Nazareth out now. Meeting with publicists to plan book tour. @Pontifex My agent advises going on Graham Norton show. Hear he is a much loved son of Ireland. @Pontifex Graham Norton cancelled. Have received reports he may not be a fully formed human person. @Pontifex Why is my Spanish Twitter feed arguing with me. @Ponitfex I'm warning you @Pontifex_es Toe the line or its excommunication. You'll be playing bridge with the Coptics by teatime. @Pontifex Xmas message to unbelievers. You are damned.