Pope2You: The Vatican Webpage for Young People

Pope2You (www.pope2you.net) is the new webpage for young people, which was created within the context of the 43rd World Day of Social Communications, whose theme is: New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship.Based on this theme, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications supports the new webpage for young people, which is available in 5 different languages and which contains news about the pope and his latest messages in the many different ways available to young people: Facebook, iPhone, WikiCath and the already well-known Vatican YouTube. The president of the Vatican dicastery, Archbishop Claudio María Celli, emphasizes: The message of the pope on this occasion is certainly directed towards everyone, but it is meant in a special way for young people, whom the Holy Father, in a joking way, calls the Digital Generation. We wanted to make reference to and utilize the new technologies in order to make the popes message better known and more widespread among the youth in their own world. We therefore thought it would be interesting to have a website, the slogan of which is very catchy: Pope2You.With Pope2You we have tried to channel the desire that is written between the lines of the message and actions of the Holy Father. He wants not only to speak to young people directly, but also to live with them their daily experience. For that reason, we have adopted all of the means that are open to young people: social networks, Facebook, cell phones, and YouTube - all of which are used often by young people and adolescents. Besides being able to access the video-news of the pope on YouTube, young people also will be able to have direct access to the videos on iPhone, produced by H2Onews. Also, on Facebook it will be possible for them to send e-cards that contain photos and messages from the pope.We try to use the new technologies in order to create original means of connecting with young people. In this way, we can fulfill the popes desire to speak to the youth and to communicate to them the message of hope and happiness.Pope2You is a tool whose purpose is to make the person and messages of Benedict XVI better known to young people.The pope is much more loved and appreciated than the image that the mass media convey of him. The Pontifical Council for Social Communications is therefore not doing anything extraordinary. It is just helping young people to get to know the Holy Father better since they already love him, know him, and listen to him attentively.