Time magazine has chosen Pope Francis as its Person of the Year, citing that he has greatly changed the public perception of the Roman Catholic Church in the first nine months of his papacy.
“For pulling the papacy out of the palace and into the streets, for committing the world’s largest church to confronting its deepest needs, and for balancing judgment with mercy, Pope Francis is Time’s 2013 Person of the Year,” Time said in its announcement.
After the pope, NSA leaker Edward Snowden, gay rights activist Edith Windsor, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas rounded out the top five for the award. The top ten included Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, pop star Miley Cyrus, U.S. President Barack Obama, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.
The former Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected to the papacy last March after Pope Benedict XVI resigned from the position. Pope Francis is the first Latin American and the first Jesuit to become pontiff. Since his election, Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics to be compassionate when it comes to subjects such as abortion, contraception, and homosexuality. He has also earned the title, “The People’s Pope,” due to his simplicity and his many acts of humility.
“He really stood out to us as someone who has changed the tone and the perception and the focus of one of the world’s largest institutions in an extraordinary way,” Nancy Gibbs, Time’s managing editor, stated.
The Vatican finds that the award sends a positive message. “The Holy Father is not looking to become famous or to receive honors,” Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said. “But if the choice of Person of Year helps spread the message of the Gospel — a message of God’s love for everyone — he will certainly be happy about that.”
This marks the third time a pope has been named Time’s Person of the Year. John Paul II was picked in 1994 and John XXIII was chosen in 1962.
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