According to a statement released today by Stephen Ewart, Marketing Manager for names.co.uk, over 600 new domains were registered within hours of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio's anointment as the Head of the Catholic Church. But His Holiness is not the first high-profile world leader to forget about his domain name.



The loss of key domains surrounding newly elected Pope Francis I on his first day of Papal duties could "spark a bidding war" suggested Ewart. "No sooner had the white smoke billowed from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel than cheeky cybersquatters from Ireland had began registering key domain names connected to Pope Francis I," he said.

The 600+ domains registered within hours of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio's anointment as Pontiff include:

• Popefrancisi.com - registered in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on 13^th March 2013
• Popefrancis.co.uk - registered in Florida on 13^th March 2013
• Popefrancis.org - registered in Arizona on 13^th March 2013
• Popefrancisi.eu - also registered yesterday
• Popefrancis.fr - registered in Australia on 13^th March 2013
• Popefrancis.com - registered in 2010, well in advance

Ewart noted that Argentina's permeation, Popefrancis.ar.com, is, however, still available.