Time Magazine has named Pope Francis as its Person of the Year for 2013.
The magazine says the Pope introduced himself as a man of great humility, made his presence felt in a different way to other Popes and has refocused a global conversation on poverty.
"At a time when the limits of leadership are being tested in so many places, along comes a man with no army or weapons, no kingdom beyond a tight fist of land in the middle of Rome but with the immense wealth and weight of history behind him, to throw down a challenge" it said.
"The world is getting smaller; individual voices are getting louder; technology is turning virtue viral, so his pulpit is visible to the ends of the earth. When he kisses the face of a disfigured man or washes the feet of a Muslim woman, the image resonates far beyond the boundaries of the Catholic Church" it added.
The magazine also points to his power as leader of the Catholic church itself - as one of the oldest, largest and richest institutions on earth with a following 1.2 billion strong.
It says his focus on compassion, along with a general aura of merriment, has made Francis "something of a rock star".
It says churches have seen a 'Francis effect' of lapsed Catholics returning to Mass, and that the fascination with Francis gives him an opportunity to magnify the message of the church and its power to do good.
It also notes that this was an opportunity that his predecessor, Benedict XVI, never had.
Other prominent people on the shortlist include NSA whisteblower Edward Snowden and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
