Vatican Deletes All Tweets by Pope Benedict XVI

By Paul Thomson :: 4:09 PM

The Vatican has deleted all of the Tweets from the official Papal Twitter account used by Pope Benedict XVI following his resignation earlier today.

Pope Benedict XVI Tweeted from the handle @pontifex, and had a few dozen Tweets, the last one posted at 11:00 AM this morning, shortly before he boarded a helicopter and left the Vatican for his summer residence.

Vatican officials replaced his name on the Twitter account with “Sede Vacante” a Latin term that refers to the time period without a pope – it translates to “the seat is vacant.”

No official word has been given for the deletion of the Tweets, although many are speculating that is has been done as a way to show that the position is vacant, and the Twitter account will be held for the next Pope, should he wish to use it.

During his time in the position, the Pope sent 20 Tweets – he opened his account in early January of this year. All Tweets have been archived by the Vatican, and can be found on their website.