While thousands of people gathered at St. Peter’s Square to celebrate the announcement of Pope Francis, the rest of the world came together on Twitter. As speculation about the new pope swirled about, much like the white smoke from the chimney at the Sistine Chapel, people across the globe tweeted with anticipation. After 45 minutes of post-smoke waiting, the new @Pontifex was announced.

Nine days ago, the Vatican launched the first personal Twitter accounts for the Pope, giving Pope Benedict XVI the opportunity to tweet in English (via @Pontifex) and in seven other major languages.

Today, the Vatican announced that on December 12, which is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope Benedict XVI (@pontifex) will be the first Pope to join Twitter. Beginning now, people everywhere will have a chance to Tweet questions relating to faith and belief using the hashtag #AskPontifex.

This week, hundreds of millions of people in India and around the world get set to celebrate Diwali. Popularly known as the “Festival of Lights,” Diwali marks the triumph of good over evil and is celebrated by the lighting of lamps, bursting of firecrackers, and exchanging of sweets.