TIME for Pope Francis - 12 Dec 2013

Yesterday, Pope Francis was voted by TIME, the worlds most widely read magazine, as Person of the Year; an award presented to the individual or group who ‘has done the most to influence the events of the year’.

His appointment came under unusual circumstances after his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, became the first Pope in 600 years to step down from his position as head of the Catholic Church, (and the first in over 700 years to do it voluntarily).

Since his election on the 13th of March earlier this year, Pope Francis has somehow repositioned the church to a place of contemporary, international relevance. He has inspired a disenchanted world with the revelation of the church's true calling and has built bridges over cultural and generational gaps, (in his first 9 months, his twitter handle ‘@Pontifex’ was the fourth most talked about word on the internet – after ‘fail’, ‘#’ and the international default fault page ‘403’).

So what is it about this Pope?

His revolutionary work has cut through the cynicism surrounding so much of the world’s relationship with the church. And the heart of his work? Practising humility, generosity and a servant heart.

In essence the ‘revolutionary’ actions of Pope Francis are profoundly simple. His actions are not the calling of the Pope alone, but the calling of every follower of Jesus. It’s what we’re all called to do in scripture. He's just really doing it.

The fact that this ‘influence’ is the simple work of a man practising active obedience to scripture is a challenge to us; the world church. In living out Christ-like love in the world, we aren’t simply ticking scriptural boxes, we’re reshaping the world in a way it is crying out for. It's changing the world to become a better place, and it's change the world clearly wants to see.

Keep praying for Pope Francis.

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Feature image is a derivative of the image 'New Pope.' by kOikOi00.