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Collection Papal Transition 2005 Web Archive

About this Collection

On April 2, 2005, Pope John Paul II died at the age of 84; seventeen days later, on April 19, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI was elected the 265th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The death of a presiding pope of the Catholic Church is an event that affects more than one billion Catholics worldwide and marks the departure of an influential world leader. The papal transition of 2005 marked the first election of a pope in the Internet age.

The Papal Transition 2005 Web Archive documents this transfer from one pope to another as it emerged on the Internet. The types of websites archived include the following: religious bodies, religious organizations, Catholic web sources, U.S. and foreign government sites, international press coverage, editorials, public opinion, tributes and memorials, blogs, and other relevant sites.

Collection Period: April 2005 to November 2005.

Frequency of Collection: Sites in the collection were targeted for capture weekly, monthly, or once.

Languages: Collection material in English, with Spanish, German, Polish, Indonesian, Greek, Italian, Sinhala/Sinhalese, Tamil, and Ukranian.