Pope Benedict XVI gets e-mail address

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Pope Benedict XVI gets e-mail address<br />VATICAN CITY (AP) — Got a prayer or a problem for the new pope? Now you can e-mail him. Showing that Pope Benedict XVI intends to follow in the footsteps of John Paul II&#39;s multimedia ministry, the Vatican on Thursday modified its Web site so that users who click on an icon on the home page automatically activate an e-mail composer with his address.<br />In English, the address is benedictxvi@vatican.va. In Italian: benedettoxvi@vatican.va.<br /><br />Vatican spokesmen could not immediately be reached for comment on how many messages Benedict may have received already.<br /><br />John Paul, who died April 2, was the first pope to use e-mail, a medium that made its debut during his 26-year papacy. The Vatican said he received tens of thousands of messages in his final weeks as he struggled with illness.<br /><br />In 2001, sitting in the Vatican&#39;s frescoed Clementine Hall, John Paul used a laptop to tap out an apology for Roman Catholic missionary abuses against indigenous peoples of the South Pacific.<br /><br />The Vatican also used e-mail to notify journalists of John Paul&#39;s death.<br /><br />The Holy See often issues news or documents to journalists via e-mail, and its labyrinth of obscure offices and councils are online in half a dozen languages. Even the Sistine Chapel, with its famed art collection, offers a virtual reality tour.<br /><br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.