Pope's Illness Prompts Mountain of Email

Most new Web sites take a while to catch on with Net surfers. But that's not the case with the Vatican site. The Holy See connection was launched on December 25, and the Vatican reports 307,786 hits from 70 countries in the first 2 days.

A Vatican spokesperson says the Pope has also received hundreds of get-well wishes via email. The messages were prompted by the pontiff's bout of influenza that caused him to cut short his Christmas message and miss Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Day.

The Vatican reports that the Pope is feeling better and expects to make his next public appearance on December 31. Those wishing to send a message to the Pope can do so by accessing the Vatican Web site.