The new additional website of the Vatican has already recorded 13 million visitors in its first three days of existence, announced on Tuesday the Secretary General of the Vatican administration, Bishop Renato Boccardo. The aim of the new site (www.vaticanstate.va) is to assist pilgrims and tourists, stated Boccardo.
In terms of the actions of Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor, John Paul II, the Vatican uses modern media opportunities in its communication with visitors. The Vatican is "very complex entity," stated Eugenio Hasler, who is responsible for the original Vatican website (www.vatican.va), which will continue to exist. Therefore, it was concluded that it is necessary to present all aspects of the Vatican on the new site, not just the services and offices belonging to the Vatican state. The site www.vaticanstate.va displays all services, activities, and the organizational structure of the smallest state in the world.
Currently, the site offers information in five languages: Italian, English, French, German, and Spanish. Visitors will notice prominently displayed the Vatican Office for Philately and Numismatics and a link to the Vatican Museums. The authors of the site announce that numismatists and philatelists will soon be able to order Vatican postage stamps and coins online through the site. The site also offers a current view of the Vatican with the help of five webcams set up in the Vatican gardens. Interested visitors will thus be able to observe the Pope during his walks. The traditional Vatican website www.vatican.va, which contains numerous church documents, will still be available to visitors with its current content. (H)
