Many Twitter users aggressively question the pontiff’s record on child sexual abuse, his position on homosexuality or his brief enrollment in a militia unit during his youth in Nazi Germany.

Celli said people at the Vatican were not surprised by these tweets. “When he joined the social network, we knew there would be attacks and irony,” he said.

In an interview with Religion News Service, Celli said Benedict himself was “aware” of the risks and accepted them “calmly.”

“What the pope wants is to be where today’s men and women are,” he said. “After all, even Jesus was derided and offended during his mission.”

According to Celli’s deputy, Archbishop Paul Tighe, the Vatican shouldn’t pay too much attention to online insults. “If you start chasing those who attack you, they have already won, because they have shaped your message,” he said at the launch of the pope’s annual statement on communications.

Benedict’s 2013 message, unveiled on Thursday, offers a positive view of today’s digital landscape, including social media.

For the pope, the social media realm is not “a parallel or purely virtual world” but a very real place where millions of people conduct a significant part of their life.