5. Pope Francis
It can be argued that the world is moving towards a more secular state of mind, but that doesn’t diminish the power and influence of the catholic church. The Vatican released statistics in 2020 stating that the number of Catholics worldwide increased by an estimated 16 million, taking the faithful to 1.36 billion.
After the shock resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the first pope to relinquish the office since Gregory XII was forced to resign in 1415, the position of head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State passed to the former bouncer and janitor, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, better known as Pope Francis.
This hugely popular pontiff from Buenos Aires, Argentina, might have the persona of a kindly old gentleman, and we are not suggesting otherwise. But the fact that he is the voice and spiritual leader of 16% of the world’s total population (and 50% of all Christians) is not something to be taken lightly.
