#5 – Pope Francis, Pope of the Roman Catholic Church

Pope Francis (born in 1936), whose birth name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio is the 266th and current Pope of the largest Christian church in the world – the Roman Catholic Church, which has over 1.28 billion members.  The Catholic church is one of the oldest religious institutions in the world and it has played a hugely prominent role in the history and development of Western civilisation, influencing philosophy, science, art and culture.

The pope is considered one of the world’s most powerful people because of his diplomatic and cultural influence in what is the largest branch of the most followed religion in the world: Christianity.  The Pope’s political and religious duties include meeting with heads of state and maintaining diplomatic relationships with more than 100 nations.