UNITED KINGDOM: Anyone with "The Pope App" on their smart phone will be able to watch for the white smoke that heralds a new pontiff on a live stream trained on the chimney of the Sistine Chapel

Record ID: 501852

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Anyone with "The Pope App" on their smart phone will be able to watch for the white smoke that heralds a new pontiff on a live stream trained on the chimney of the Sistine Chapel
  • Date: 13th March 2013
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 13, 2013) (REUTERS) PETER D. WILLIAMS PLAYING WITH APP (SOUNDBITE) (English) CATHOLIC WRITER AND SPEAKER FOR CATHOLIC VOICES, PETER D. WILLIAMS, SAYING: "Well I think it will build excitement simply because it will allow people to see what's going on with the papacy what the Pope's saying, where he's going, what he's doing and also to see what kind of things the papacy does. I think it's an institution shrouded in mystery for many people, so maybe this will allow them to see exactly what goes on."
  • Embargoed: 28th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA7Y4N12SEXVJEPPA3U26KWOOXJ
  • Story Text: Anyone with "The Pope App" on their smart phone will be able to watch for the white smoke that heralds a new pontiff on a live stream trained on the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.
    The app, which was released in February by the Pontifical Council on Social Communications, allows followers to keep tabs on the Pope's movements, schedule, news, as well as photos, videos and webcams positioned in Vatican City.
    Reuters caught up with Catholic writer and Speaker for Catholic Voices, Peter D. Williams outside England's most prominent Roman Catholic building, Westminster Cathedral, to find out how he believes an app can make a difference - especially today when cardinals at the Vatican in secret conclave failed twice on Wednesday (13 March 2013) morning to elect a new pope, as black smoke over the Sistine Chapel showed ballots on the first full day of voting were inconclusive.
    "The thing that's most cool about it is you can get a video stream of the Sistine Chapel" Williams said, "to see if the white smoke or the black smoke is coming after votes in the Papal conclave. That's pretty cool but mostly it's about the Vatican news service just getting its message out there, seeing papal events, what's going on with the current Pope if there is one."
    The Catholic church is no stranger to social media with the recently resigned Pope Benedict XVI having his own Twitter handle - something that Williams believes is vital for the religion.
    "It's good for The Church to go to social media because it allows it to spread its message to another generation that hasn't had so much interest in religion but has a thirst for spirituality" he said, "and if it can reach that generation, the younger generation and allow its message to be easily propagated among them, actually that will do The Church a great service."
    Members of the public outside Westminster Cathedral had differing opinions on whether the idea of the app was a good one.
    While Nick Elliott from Australia thought it was 'fantastic', others had different views. Osman Sabir from London said,
    "Well you've got to move with the times, so it's good that they're doing that" while Helen Nicholson also from London said "I think it's getting too modernised. They haven't updated their ideas and stuff but they're willing to update their technology."
    While the world waits for the new Pope to be announced, now you don't have to be in Vatican Square or a member of a newsroom to be the first to see the white smoke, ushering in the new Pope.
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