History's first papal tweet launches Vatican website

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has tweeted history's first papal tweet.

With the touch of a finger – not, however, the one adorned with the Annulus Piscatoris – the Bishop of Rome tapped an iPad to tweet to the world that the Vatican's online news service, News.va, has launched.

Lauded as "A Historic Tweet" by News.va, here is the primo pipio a Benedictus XVI

While it's unclear whether Vicarius Christi will become an avid social networker, should he decide to tweet ex cathedra, he has over one billion potential followers – that's the estimated number of Roman Catholics worldwide.

Rome Reports has provided a video of the historic moment – and it must be noted with sympathy that the Successor of St. Peter, Prince of The Apostles, appears noticeably less spry than even Apple CEO Steve Jobs – though, of course, the Servant of the Servants of God is 28 years that other spiritual leader's senior:

It's an eventful week for Il Papa: on Tuesday, his first tweet; on Wednesday the 60th anniversary of his ordination. Dominus conservet eum. ®