A novel move at the time for a conservative institution, the Pope may regret ever having entered the Twittersphere after he was lampooned for his resignation Monday.
Pope Benedict became the first Pope to resign in 600 years on Monday morning, citing his inability to fulfil the role due to ill health. It’s obviously a rare step and one that has drawn ire in the past. Pope Celestine V’s voluntarily resignation in 1294 inspired Dante Alighieri to take the vengeful step of placing him in the antechamber of hell. No Pope since has taken the name Celestine.
Benedict will probably also be remembered for being the first Pope to embrace social media by establishing his own personal Twitter account, but he may regret the move. Instead of being lynched by Italy’s greatest epic poet, the Pope has been stung by the acerbic wit of his fellow tweeps.
While the Pope himself failed to announce his departure on Twitter, others took to the social media platform to discuss his stunning resignation, and to make myriad terrible puns…and some good ones.
Here are the top ten tweets on the Pope’s resignation:
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@InspGadgetBlogs: You know the economy is bad when even God is laying people off #poperesigns
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@CBCJeffDouglas: Benedict is first #Pope to quit in six centuries. Note that he gave two weeks notice. Always. Be. Professional. #PopeResigns
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@The_Shiznit: You can donate to the Pope’s retirement fund by using his Papal account. #popejokes
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@AbsoluteRadio90: It’s a comfort to know that even the Pope has an overwhelming urge to quit his job on a Monday. #PopeJokes (too early?)
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@Natabaalo: “That’s me in the corner, that’s me in the spotlight losing my religion”…Pope at karaoke last night via @ditchfield #Popejokes
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@johnmoe: The Pope, formerly known as Joseph Ratzinger, just wants to get back to his first love: zinging rats.
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@TheMikeLawrence: “If you continue to wear that gigantic hat you will die” – the Pope’s doctor
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@SamGrittner: Joseph Ratzinger is really starting to regret getting those ‘POPE4EVA’ knuckle tattoos right about now
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@RexHuppke: Dear Vatican: Two words – Poprah Winfrey. Think about it. #Pope
- @jeremysahler: I’d quit my job too if my boss never showed up #PopeJokes
