Pope Francis tweets for the first time

Pope Francis has tweeted for the first time since he was elected last Wednesday:

The tweet was retweeted some 7,000 times in its first half hour of existence.

The same @Pontifex account was used to declare that a new pope had been elected with the words "HABEMUS PAPAM FRANCISCUM," although this has now been deleted.

Pope Benedict XVI, his predecessor, used the same account for his first tweet: "Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart."