The Vatican wants to bring its communications into the modern world and consolidate its websites into one portal, it has announced.
Vatican News will be its "single new portal," according to an online statement, and will be put together by a multilingual editorial team. Currently, there are a number of sites with different designs published in several languages. The new site will be designed by Accenture Interactive.
"The move is part of the Vatican reform aimed at finding new ways to communicate with and engage all people in today's digital world," according to a statement on the Accenture website.
"The transformation will enable the Vatican media team to have a defined online identity, one voice, and a richer, digital source of multi-media content to reach people all over the world" it continued.
Monsignor Dario Edoardo Viganò, prefect of the secretariat for communications at the Vatican, said the move was made to keep up with digital trends. "We are launching the last part of the reform sought by Pope Francis. Each reform does not originate from a mistaken past but from a present that calls for a change: in this case, today's cultural and digital convergence require the adoption of production processes that are different from traditional ones," he said.
Accenture Interactive will also design logos and other elements for Vatican News, Vatican Media and Radio Vaticana Italiana.
Pope Francis turned 81 on Sunday and celebrated by blowing out a single candle on a four-meter pizza.