You might want to start paying a bit more attention to your Twitter account, it just might be your ticket into heaven. Pope Francis has made waves this week after the Vatican has announced that people could be forgiven for their sins via their actions online.

The forgiveness of sins and alleviation of one's time in purgatory is known as giving "indulgences," and the practice has been around for centuries. Francis has now stated that getting indulgences will be easier than ever before.

For instance, following the Pope's Twitter feed as he attends the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro later this month is one way that a person can get on the fast track to heaven. The Pope also plans to offer similar rewards for those following via television and other social media.

"What's new about this announcement is the migration onto Twitter, and to say that's it's possible to follow these events in Brazil on World Youth Day through an electronic medium rather than going there yourself," said Patrick Hornbeck, chair of the department of Theology at the University of Fordham in New York.

Indulgences have been around in some form or another for as long as there has been a papacy to hand them out. They didn't become formalized until the 1300s, however, and at first their existence was less-than-holy. Royalty during medieval times would often make large donations to the church in order to purchase their salvation via indulgences.

"You can't obtain indulgences like getting a coffee from a vending machine," said Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communication.

The practice of buying indulgences has since faded, and now the Catholic Church requires more effort on the behalf of those that wish to be saved. As it relates to the latest offer over Twitter, followers must still confess their sins, offer prayers and attend Mass.

"This Pope has done a remarkable job of demonstrating how well aware he is of the way in which his younger audience, his younger followers, follow things and I think it totally makes sense that young Catholics would be much more likely to participate via social networking and social media rather than through traditional ways," said Hornbeck.

1.5 million Catholics are expected to attend the World Youth Day this year, which is actually not a day but almost a full week, from Jul. 23 to Jul. 28. There will certainly be plenty of people attempting to gain absolution from afar during the event, as the Pope currently has roughly 2.7 million Twitter followers.