The oldest social network–after all, who but the early Christians invented the idea of “friending” even your enemies?–made a first tentative move onto the latest social network when the Vatican announced their new papal Facebook app yesterday.
Part of a new site called Pope2You, the app allows facebooking Catholics to send each other virtual postcards featuring pictures and sayings of Benedict XVI.

Pope2You also offers a papal wiki, a link to the new Vatican YouTube channel, and an iPhone app that lets users receive updates on papal pronouncements. The Vatican made clear that the Holy Father himself would not have a Facebook profile.
Though the Vatican has had its own website for almost a decade, Pope2You is the result of a papal call put out back in March to engage the digital generation. Don’t expect a Tweet from the pope anytime soon. The new site, which is fronted by two videos of Benedict and another Vatican heavy mumbling about respectful dialogue, has already drawn concern that the pope will be “lowering” himself by including the YouTube channel. In response, an archbishop explained that Benedict XVI’s intention is to be “where people meet.”