Vanity Fair Italy names Pope Francis 'Man of the Year'
MANILA, Philippines - The Italian edition of pop culture and fashion magazine Vanity Fair named Pope Francis "Man of the Year," saying the newly elected pontiff's first 100 days in office already puts him "at the top of world leaders who make history," the publication said in its website.
The issue that hit newsstands Wednesday features testimonials about the Argentine Francis from personalities such as music icon Elton John, tenor Andrea Bocelli and novelist Erri de Luca who are not necessarily Catholic.
"Francis is a miracle of humility in the era of vanity. I hope you know how to get his message even further, to the most marginalized in society, to those communities which, at this time of their lives, they desperately need your love. I think, for example, to homosexuals," John told Vanity Fair.
The magazine particularly commended Francis for visiting illegal immigrants in Italy's Lampedusa Islands and for his "heavy" words like "St. Peter did not have a bank account," referring to the Catholic Church's first pope.
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Observers also said that Francis shook things up at the Vatican by ordering an independent audit of the Vatican Bank and collaborating with his still-living predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on a new encyclical released late June.
