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| Benedict XVI Gains 'Cyber-pope' Counterpart |
| A U.K. journalism student is moving in on Benedict XVI's turf with a tongue-in-cheek Net campaign |
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Jonathan Paul Hartley (hallamboy)  |
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Published 2005-04-28 00:46 (KST) |
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 | |  A screenshot of the self-proclaimed cyber-pope's blog | | | | In a world where the Internet rules, having the right e-mail address is important to many people. With the election of a new pope at the Vatican, this idea has taken on a whole new complexion.
Irish-born journalism student Vincent Flood visited the Italian based Hotmail site and registered the address popebenedictxvi@hotmail.it as soon as Cardinal Ratzinger's papal name was announced. This has sparked a bidding war on auction site eBay for the ownership of this prestigious address. The bidding has reached a fever pitch with the reserve price of US$150 having been met with more than four days left on the auction.
The news of this event has caused media interest from around the world including the BBC, Ireland's RTE and the Sun newspaper. This publicity is welcomed by the London resident, who is about to graduate from his MA in Journalism from the University of Westminster and is seeking employment in the print industry.
When quizzed about the effect this global exposure may have on his job prospects Flood told OhmyNews, "I'd tell them to get in touch if they'd like to employ someone who obviously has a nose for a story and is willing to take the initiative."
In addition to his job-hunting, Flood has also used this opportunity to set up his own blog site (Cyber-pope.blogspot.com) to take on the role of "cyber-pope" of his own humorous religion called Confusionism.
"It's a new religion I'm starting which has three aims: (a) to serve the confused and to assist with the confusion of others; (b) to find me a job in journalism; (c) to find me a job in journalism," he said.
Everyone is welcome to this new spiritual community and there is even a drive to recruit cyber-cardinals from around the globe to aid the online Pope Benedict in his duties.
Born a Catholic, the 27-year-old "cyber-pope" and his German counterpart in Rome have greatly differing beliefs on core issues within the church, including contraception and homosexuality. In fact it seems that this ethos for the 21st century is aimed at Generation X as Flood explains on his Weblog: "This religion will be suitable for lazy people who don't like going out on Sundays with a hangover."
It appears that dialog between the two pontiffs may have hit a brick wall even at this early stage.
"I did email the Vatican to offer the address back to them. Then I emailed again to see if they would give Papal backing to my auction on eBay. They haven't replied and so I still don't know Pope Benedict XVI's position on the issue."Now you can register as a citizen reporter with our new English login system! Keep track of the number of people who read your stories, readers comments and the cybercash you earned. The registration process is quick and free. A FAQ and step-by-step slide show (PowerPoint) will help you get started. OhmyNews is looking forward to receiving stories from your part of the world.
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©2005 OhmyNews
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