The pope has been active on Twitter only since December 12 . He is the first pontiff to use it as a means of communicating with his followers and he uses it regularly in speeches or messages posted online. He tweets under the handle @ Pontifex -- meaning `` bridge builder '' in Latin .
The pope has been active on Twitter only since December 12 . The spiritual leader stunned the world Monday with the news that he will resign February 28 . He tweets under the handle @ Pontifex -- meaning `` bridge builder '' in Latin .