The Pope sends his first tweet on Twitter

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The credibility of the Pope's new Twitter account will centre on his willingness to address contentious issues facing the Catholic church, a social media expert says, reports AAP on ninemsn.

Benedict XVI, 86, used an iPad to send the first tweet from his new @pontifex account on Wednesday night (AEDT), blessing his more than one million followers in eight languages and addressing questions of faith.

Vatican staffers are now expected to tweet on the Pope's behalf, with the pontiff approving every message.

Christine Jones, CEO of communications firm Burson-Marsteller Australia, says a key challenge will be maintaining the account's sense of authenticity. "It's too early to predict how successful this will be," she told AAP."

But the test of credibility will likely revolve around the Vatican's willingness to engage in some of the more contentious issues that will be raised by its Twitter followers."

The @pontifex account has received mixed reaction online, with many welcoming the bold move.But it's also become a focal point for those angry about alleged sexual abuse of minors by members of the church.

Some Twitter users claim to have been blocked by @pontifex, which means they can no longer messages to the Pope's account.

Laura Demasi, from marketing firm Ipsos says the Pope is unlikely to address the issue of child abuse via Twitter. But she believes the new account is a wise move for the Vatican.

FULL STOR Pope facing credibility test on Twitter (ninemsn)