Judging from his rapidly increasing number of followers, lots of folks are interested in what Pope Benedict will say when he shares his first few tweets latt this month.

The Vatican announced the Pontiff’s intent to begin tweeting yesterday and the pope has already amassed more than 200,000 followers, according to some news reports.

Here are a few news stories about Pope Benedict’s coming foray into the Twitterspere:

Huffington Post: “Pope Joins Twitter”

Boston Globe: “Pope joins tweeting masses with Pontifex handle”

And then there’s Bloomberg Business Week’s list of some of the more interesting tweets following the Vatican’s announcement: Bloomberg Businessweek: “The 10 Best Tweets About Pope Benedict Joining Twitter”

The tweets featured by Businessweek were pretty humorous … and pretty tame, for which I am glad.

I’m going to Twitter right now to follow the Pope.  

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor 

Coakley, who celebrates his first year as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City this month, has expressed interest in seeing the Church connect with other through the Internet.

So it comes as no surprise that the archdiocese has unveiled its newly revamped website at http://archokc.org/

Today, Loutitia Eason, the archdiocese’s chancellor, said archdiocesan staff began working on the website’s new look about a year ago because the site’s presentation was antiquated.

“It was old and it hadn’t been updated in years,” she said.

Eason said the new website went live on Feb. 17.  She said there’s still work to be done but “we’re really happy that it’s up and running.”

About Coakley, Eason said the archbishop welcomed the new look.

“He’s very into technology,” she said.

Coakley’s installation as Oklahoma City archbishop was held Feb. 11, 2011 in Edmond.

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor  

Watch a video that shows the historic moment when Pope Benedict joined the Twitter world.

The pontiff   (pictured here in an AP photo) made tweet history this week by writing his first tweet on an iPad and joining the world of ever-popular world of Twitter: “Dear Friends, I just launched News.va. Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI”.

The pope’s tweet comes at a momentous time.

First, it announced a new Vatican news portal.

Also, it was launched for the feast day of St. Peter and Paul, which falls on today, June 29. Today is also the 60th anniversary of of Pope Benedict’s ordination as a priest.

There is a contingent of Oklahomans in Rome joining in the celebrations for these occasions. The Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, the archbishop for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, is in Rome to receive his pallium from the pope and there are many Oklahomans and Kansans joining him on his pilgrimage.

Read the Associated Press story on the pope’s historic tweet here:  “My tweet lord”

An iPod Vatican tour program being unveiled this week.

The Associated Press is reporting that the Holy See’s pilgrim agency is offering visitors to the Vatican museums an iPod which has a Vatican tour application designed to guide them through the vast, historic museums that draw tons of people every day.

Apparently, it’s a pilot program. It’s free, the AP reports. Visitors must leave their passport or some other similar document in exchange for the iPod, for security purposes.  Then they are free to roam the museums with their trusty iPod guide in hand.

Read more about it here: Vatican tour meets technology 

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

I saw the word “iPad” and the word ‘afterlife” and I immediately wondered what the two could possibly  be doing together.

The Reuters story is out of Malaysia and involves the Qingming festival, also known as the tomb sweeping festival.

Read the full story here: “iPad 2 Sold Out in the Afterlife”    

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

The app is called “The Life of Jesus” and it is being billed as the first-ever comprehensive mobile phone application dedicated to the life of the Christian savior. 

A news release sent out by the app’s developer, new media company DV8 Media, says that it contains cutting edge original video and audio productions, interactive games, Christian-themed communication tools and the full text of the New Testament.

“We wanted to bring the story of Jesus into a 21st century paradigm and align his teachings with the technical revolution we are all enjoying,” Geoff Tyson, DV8 managing director, said. “With the power of the iPhone, a talented international production team, a jaw-dropping fashionable aesthetic and the power of inspirational music, we can break down old paradigms and bring the teachings of Christ to a new, younger international audience,” he said.

For more information, go online to www.thelifeofjesus.net.

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

The NIV GoBible is a Bible program that lets the user read and listen to the NIV of the Bible on an iPad, iPhone or iTouch. The program was designed to make the Bible as accessible and enjoyable as possible.

“This technology is fantastic in that it allows the user to customize in so many ways how they want to access the Bible and use it in their daily lives,” Chip Brown, Zondervan senior vice president of Bibles, said in a news release. 

The NIV GoBible iPhone app retails for $44.99 and can be purchased through the Apple  iTunes store. 

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

Upon reading the full story, it sounds like the church is taking an idea that Edmond-based LifeChurch.tv has been using to maximum effect for years.

The news service reports that the Church of Scotland wants to use virtual ministers who would preach over a live video link to congregations that do not have a permanent minister.

“Preaching by live video link to vacant congregations is one of many radical changes being proposed by the Ministries Council,” Gordon Bell, media relations officer with the Church of Scotland, told Ecumenical News International.

He said the report to the Presbyterian church’s May 21-27 General Assembly suggests the Kirk, as the Church of Scotland is known locally, should consider the use of video technology in churches which struggle to attract full-time ministers.

The Orkney presbytery, which has 21 congregations spread over more than 10 islands, will be used to test the program by linking four congregations in the archipelago with technology similar to video conferencing.

There are presently an estimated 190 full-time vacancies for clergy across Scotland, which has a population of 5.1 million, the RNS reports.

If successful, church officials say a number of congregations in some of the most remote parts of Scotland would be able to take part in the same service.

Meanwhile, at LifeChurch.tv campuses, whether they be in Oklahoma or beyond (Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, Florida and New York), people attend worship experiences with Craig Groeschel (pictured above), senior pastor, or one of the church’s teaching pastors, delivering the sermon via satellite. Groeschel typically delivers the message live at one of the church sites and this is beamed via satellite. They’ve been doing it for years.

Is this an idea whose time has come? Will we see more ministries doing the same?

If so, Oklahoma is well ahead of the game.   

(PHOTO by Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman: Craig Groeschel, senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv, sits in the sanctuary of the LifeChurch.tv headquarter campus at Interstate 35 and Second Street in Edmond in this 2005 photograph.)

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

The developers of the Me So Holy application have posted a statement about the rejection on their Web site at www.mesoholy.com.

The developers said have a similar application that allows people to superimpose their face or someone else’s on an animal.

In their statement the developers said the feel that “Apple is being too sensitve to its perceived user group and are disappointed that this otherwise creative, freethinking company would reject such a positive and fun application.”

The developers said Apple, in its rejection letter, said “Me So Holy” contains “objectionable content and is inviolatin of Section 3.3.12 from the iPhone SDK Agreement which states:

“Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.) or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPHone or iPod touch users.”

Watch a CNN video on the matter: CNN “Me So Holy” video    

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor