The Vatican is launching this week a Facebook page dedicated to the upcoming beatification of Pope John Paul II.
The pontiff will be beatified on 1 May. His page on the social networking site will include links to video highlights of his papacy, which spanned 27 years.
“What we found is that Facebook doesn’t just share information, it creates community,” Monsignor Paul Tighe, the No 2 in the Vatican’s social communications office, told The Independent.
“People begin talking to each other and sharing ideas.”
Pope John Paul II died in 2005.