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The Catholic Church hasn’t made headlines for being inspirational in a long time, but on March 13, things started to change, and Pope Francis ended 2013 being named Person of the Year.

Though you might have heard about one or two of him more surprising statements or touching moments, this list from Distractify really brings home not only the reason for his winning of that title, but for the season as well.

He spoke out against frivolous spending in the Church.

The average set of cardinal’s clothes costs as much as $20,000. In October, Pope Francis urged officials to dress more modestly and to not squander such money. In the same month, he ordered a German bishop to explain how he had spent $3 million on a marble courtyard.

He held a major ceremony at the chapel of a youth prison

In March, the Pope held a major Holy Week service at Casal del Marmo jail for minors, rather than the Vatican. During the service, the pope washed and kissed the feet of 12 young offenders to commemorate Jesus’ gesture of humility towards his apostles on the night before he died. During the service, he broke tradition by washing the feet of women and Muslims.

He refused to send away a child who had run on stage to hug him

During the Year of Faith Celebrations, a young boy ran on stage as the Pope was giving a speech. When assistants tried to remove the boy, Francis allowed him to stay.

Full story at Distractify.

A new era for Catholicism.