Report: Pope app tops iTunes charts

March 28, 2013 9:07am


A Pope-oriented news app has ascended to the top of the iTunes Store charts in the last week, a Catholic news agency has reported.

The Catholic News Agency on Tuesday said "The Pope App" was the most downloaded app for iPhones in several countries, and shows a spike in interest in the papacy.

"In the last week, The Pope App is the most-downloaded news app for iPhone in the US, Canada, Spain, Venezuela, Peru, Poland, Chile, Mexico, Portugal, and Pope Francis’ home country of Argentina," CNA said.

Also, it said the app is the second most downloaded news app in France and Germany.

Quoting figures from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications March 23, CNA said the app was in the top 10 in eight other countries.

The Pope App, powered by the Vatican news agency, can be downloaded from the iTunes Store and is also available on Google Play for devices running Google's Android operating system.

The developer's website (www.thepopeapp.com) said the app is "focused on the figure of the Pope" and allows a user to "follow his events live and to set up alerts notifying you when papal events begin."

"It will also give you access to all official papal-related content in a variety of formats: news and official speeches, galleries with the latest images and videos, access to his calendar, and links to other services of the Holy See," it said.

Also, the app gives users views of webcam footage of the Vatican.

CNA said Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI launched The Pope App on Jan. 23.

"Since then, it has been downloaded more than 155,000 times across all mobile devices," CNA said. -- LBG, GMA News