Pope Benedict XVI`s Twitter account to close as he resigns

Washington: Pope Benedict XVI`s Twitter account, @Pontifex, will also come to an end as he leaves office on February 28, Vatican Radio has reported.

The news may come as a sad blow to the more than two million people who have signed up to follow his tweets in nine languages since his account was launched with fanfare two-and-a-half months ago. According to CNN, about 1.5 million of those people follow the English language feed, with nearly 700,000 following him in Spanish and just short of 335,000 in Italian. About 22,500 people follow @Pontifex in Latin. The account will be closed to coincide with the 85-year-old pope`s formal departure from office at 8 p.m. local time, Vatican Radio added. (ANI)