Pope wins web's blessing

The Pope has just received a blessing from the internet community: his Holiness is up for a Webby. The award is for the Vatican's website which is, not surprisingly, in the 'spiritual' category.

This year it is a top contender thanks to its heavenly state-of-the-art design which has managed to get the Catholic message across to thousands of faithful followers.

The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences' celebrity adjudicators, Francis Ford Coppola and David Bowie, will give out the Oscar-style awards at a ceremony on 18 June in San Francisco.

Other nominees include the US Army and Amazon.com for their websites.

While it is unlikely that the Pope will be giving an acceptance speech, Webby rules stipulate a maximum of five words before you have to sit down again.

The Pope is unable to collect his award, but his representative would only be able to say "I want to thank God ..." before he goes over the number of permitted words.

Academy executive director Maya Draisin said: "With more than 500 million people online today, we've reached a stage where the web is part of the fabric of our lives.

"The 2002 nominees - both large and small - are setting the standards for the medium, and transforming the way we live."