Pope Francis addresses the young people at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during the World Youth Day on July 25, 2013.
“Rarely has a new player on the world stage captured so much attention so quickly—young and old, faithful and cynical—as has Pope Francis,” writes Nancy Gibbs of TIME’s Person of the Year pick. The first non-European pope in 1,200 years, and the first from Latin America, Francis has established a fresh direction for the papacy, focusing more on compassion and helping the poor than his predecessors.
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