Text of daily papal message now available for U.S. cell phones

Published: 2004-04-15

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The words of Pope John Paul II -- if not his voice -- are now available on most U.S. cell phones. Through a service called "The Pope's Thought of the Day," an Italian firm is making the pope's message available to cell phone users. The service began April 7 to Cingular and Verizon Wireless customers. After a test was conducted April 14 on AT&T Wireless' system, the papal message service became available to AT&T Wireless customers and is to be made available to other wireless service providers soon. In all, the estimated 105 million cell phones that have text-messaging technology, or about 70 percent of all U.S. cell phones currently in use, will eventually be able to access the service. "The Pope's Thought of the Day" is selected by the Vatican press office, according to Nino Tarantino, the general manager of Acotel USA, the U.S. branch of the Italian company Acotel. The messages are culled from his speeches, homilies and writings, Tarantino said in a telephone interview with Catholic News Service from Waltham, Mass.

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