Pope Francis 'world's most popular leader'

The results are in and Pope Francis has quite unintentionally, it is presumed surpassed many political leaders around the world to become the most popular and well liked of them all. The list of leaders Pope Francis eclipsed included US President Barrack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande. According to a poll conducted in 64 countries by the Worldwide Independent Network and Gallup International (WIN/Gallup), Catholics, Jews, Protestants, Agnostics and even atheists all over the world are positively drawn to the Pope, with his biggest fans coming in from the Philippines and his lowest numbers from Azerbaijan, where he is relatively unknown. Apparently, the Pope's likability has little to do with religion or other such affiliations, as the survey spanned a wide range of socio-cultural groups and diverse peoples who gave their responses based on their perception of the man himself. Since 2013, when Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis, his popularity has soared, given the humble, loving and endearing manner in which the Pope presented  and carried himself in order to touch the lives of people and draw them closer to God, especially to those in the run-down neighborhoods who are victims of poverty and marginalisation. Even before he assumed the Catholic Church's highest office, Pope Francis always  embodied the characteristics of true leadership in executing his day-to-day life through humility and outspokenness. Upon his election in 2013, the Pope caused quite a stir when he refused to live in the Papal Palace, wear elaborate robes or shoes, or ride in the expensive cars that were at his disposal.  The same year of his election, Pope Francis was recognized as Time Magazine's Person of the Year.
Very unlike other popes, Pope Francis is actively involved in addressing crucial and sensitive social issues globally, which has contributed immensely to his present popularity and admiration levels.  Just when everyone thought that the Pope could not be any more copacetic, he opened an Instagram account last week, becoming the first pope to ever do so, in order to be closer to the people spiritually. Pope Francis further stated reasons why he believes that social media is beneficial in today's world. With 1.6 million followers on Instagram in a matter of days and 54 percent of the world's population taken with him, Pope Francis is certainly redefining the terms and limits of leadership throughout the globe by just being himself.