The conclave to select the next pope is underway at the Vatican. The method the cardinals use to choose a pope is a very old practice, first implemented in 1179 and heavily rooted in tradition.Of course that doesn鈥檛 mean the rest of us can鈥檛 use 21st-century technology to follow along. Many of the faithful (or the curious) are already excited about using modern tools to stay connected with the solemn proceedings.
If you don鈥檛 mind being tethered to your phone you can sign up for a text from . It鈥檚 a service of Denver鈥檚 Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Their promise?
"When the smoke goes up, you鈥檒l know what鈥檚 going down."
Keith Cotter, the FOCUS web director, tells the that demand has been high, with more than 35,000 people registering for the free text alert service since it launched March 9. The fellowship also has a Twitter account , which has more than 2,700 followers.
For those who need a refresher on how the Conclave works:
— Pope Alarm (@PopeAlarm)
There are plenty of apps for your smartphone, including the , which provides access to official papal-related content and photo galleries. The 鈥溾�� allows users to view the church鈥檚 official live webstream.
According to the , the Twittersphere is 鈥渆xploding鈥� as the cardinals begin their deliberations (which are all conducted under a .) Twitter users are employing quite a few hashtags too, including #conclave and #whitesmoke.
FOCUS鈥檚 Cotter says this year marks the first time a papal election has taken place with this kind of technology to keep Catholics connected.
There's an app for everything. That's just a sign of the times.
