Vatican Radio - CTV Facebook initiative gains popularity

Growing success of the Vatican Radio & Vatican Television Centre (CTV) Facebook Page dedicated to John Paul II

As of 19 March, less than a week since it was opened, the page has received nearly 30 thousand "likes". Thousands of comments, all of the positive, have been inserted in a wide range of languages, from Italian to Chinese.

Over the first two days visits to the page grew at the rate of more than one thousand an hour. Practically all the individual videos have been watched more than 50,000 times with a peak of more than 113,000. Overall, the news published on the page has been seen more than two million times.

These are the first statistics concerning the Facebook page dedicated to John Paul II for his beatification (). The page is the result of collaboration between Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Centre (CTV), in agreement with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

"The Facebook presence represents one of Vatican Radio's and CTV's contributions to the beatification and we are very satisfied with its progress" explains Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of both those institutions, as well as of the Holy See Press Office.

A new Youtube channel () has also been activated – accompanying Vatican Radio's and CTV's existing page of Vatican news – from which the videos are also made available on Facebook. The great popularity of that social network is ensuring the outstanding success of this initiative and is further evidence of the Church's interest in these new technologies.

"This initiative is our response to those people who called on us to used social networks to prepare for the beatification. These audio and video files, thanks to the collaboration between Vatican Radio and CTV, ensure that many people can connect to enjoy the images and hear the voice of John Paul II, and share them with others", Fr. Lombardi said.

The videos are of three kinds. There are twenty-seven offering a year-by-year overview of his pontificate. These videos leave the most important images of each year to speak for themselves, accompanying them with a musical soundtrack.

As of this week, there will be videos with the Pope's voice in various languages, during his trips and in the Vatican. There are around forty videos with audio chosen by the language programmes of Vatican Radio, accompanied by a video montage prepared by CTV. These are accompanied by twenty-five videos illustrating significant moments of his trips and of his pontificate in general. The page concerning John Paul II on Facebook heads the list of search results "and this is already one cause for satisfaction" says Fr. Lombardi

Vatican City, 21 March 2011