She likened the wireless homilies to mostly defunct telephone services that allowed people to dial a number and hear a pre-recorded message from the pope for a fee. "I don't know if this will be hugely successful either," she said. Spreading the wordThe Vatican is participating in the new U.S. cell phone services by supplying the text message content through a partnership with Acotel. The same services are available to cell phone subscribers in Italy, Ireland and the United Kingdom. "The Catholic Church isn't exactly known for being at the bleeding edge of technology, but this pope is trying to get a modern message out there," Strategy Analytics' Kerr said.

Although the Vatican does not profit from the service, the daily homilies could help with difficulties it has reaching younger generations put off by recent clergy sex-abuse scandals, Cell phones are considered de rigueur for teenagers, especially in Europe, and a growing percentage of American teenagers are carrying them vaja wallet agenda iphone x premium leather case - tan as well, Replacing preaching with "texting" could help reach this scattered part of the flock, "The church is so disconnected from younger generations that trying to do something with mobile makes sense," because phones are the latest must-have gadget among younger generations, Kerr said..

Representatives from Cingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless had no immediate comment. While U.S. carriers already offer subscribers scores of downloadable games and cell phone Web pages, Verizon's new papal proffer may stand out because of the renewed interest in religious-based content such as Mel Gibson's controversial "The Passion of the Christ" and recently aired TV movies based on Bible stories. Wireless companies also have created services geared to other religious groups, including Muslims. In Malaysia, cell phones are appearing that notify the user five times a day when Islamic prayer times occur and can determine the direction of Mecca, according to Genevieve Bell, an anthropologist working with Intel who has studied technology use in Asia.

But not even the word of God may vaja wallet agenda iphone x premium leather case - tan be able to help the still-flagging interest in other forms of wireless data that carriers are selling, U.S, carriers say that while popularity of text messaging and other wireless data services continues to grow, the services represent only about 3 percent of their overall annual revenue, Carriers are relying more heavily on wireless data offers, such as games and ring tones, to make up for lost revenue from lowering calling plan prices to keep pace with competition..

Subscribers will pay 30 cents for each daily missive based on the homilies, speeches and messages of Pope John Paul II, under a deal with the Vatican and Italian wireless services provider Acotel, based in Rome. AT&T Wireless and Cingular Wireless will follow quickly with their own versions, sources said. To use the service, Verizon Wireless subscribers address a text message to "24444." Within a few seconds, a message returns containing that day's "nondenominational..inspirational message of prayers and guidance," according to a description of the service circulated Tuesday by Acotel.