Cathal BarryPope is most popular name online
A new global survey has revealed that Pope Francis has topped the list of names most mentioned on the internet so far this year, with his twitter account also receiving a high ranking on a list of most mentioned words.
In this year’s survey, the Monitor found that Pope Francis came out as number one on the list of the most talked about names, followed by Obamacare, The National Security Agency, Edward Snowden, and Kate Middleton.
On the list of the most popular words mentioned online, the Monitor found that the Pope’s twitter handle, @Pontifex, came in fourth, stating that it was beat out by the words ‘404’ – the code for a broken webpage – along with ‘fail’ and ‘hashtag,’ which is used to denote different topics on twitter.
The internet research is based on English language blogs, social media and thousands of online news media.
Vatican prepares unique video-Catechism
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. To celebrate the occasion, the Vatican is working on an unprecedented initiative: A multimedia video version of the Catechism in different languages. The theme is ‘understand to believe’.
Containing over 40 hours of video in ultra high-definition quality, the Video Catechism is made up of two main sections. The Catechism proper, with 70 videos and a shorter Compendium. The text of the Catechism is presented in full, each section focusing on a specific theme in Catholic doctrine. The reading of the original text will be accompanied by videos both illustrating and explaining the passage.
The first part of the project to be released will be the Compendium. It’s set to be available at the end of the Year of Faith. The full version of the Catechism will be released in 2014 and will include four books and four Blu-Ray discs.
World's largest Marian shrine online
The world’s largest Marian shrine, the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil, has launched a new virtual tour.
The sanctuary’s website, www.a12.com allows visitors to check out video and photos, as well as a 360 degree ‘virtual pilgrimage’ of the large complex.
The tour starts off at the new basilica, which ranks second in size to the Vatican’s St Peter’s Basilica. With the sounds of a choir in the background, users can choose from seven points throughout the building. They include a few of the chapels on the wings of the church, dedicated to Jesus Christ, as well as St Joseph.
However, the main draw is the small statue of Our Lady of Aparecida, which is perched at the head of the Basilica, surrounded by the Chapel of the Apostles. According to tradition, fishermen came across the statue on the sea. Soon after, locals began venerating it. Aparecida eventually became the Patroness of Brazil.