Just how cool is the Pope? Wayward millennials flocking to church

◼ Since Francis’ election in March, the previously littleknown Argentine cardinal has catapulted to international rock-star status: He has more than 3 million Twitter followers, he just topped Facebook’s trending topics of 2013 list, and yesterday, Time magazine named him Person of the Year (following in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II in 1994 and Pope John XXIII in 1962). - NY Post

Unlike his aloof predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis lives in the Vatican guesthouse (as opposed to the lavish papal apartment) and drives himself around in a 1984 Renault (instead of being chauffeured). In a September interview with a Jesuit publication, he broke with conservative church positions on a number of issues, including homosexuality. And most recently, he admitted that before he became a priest, he worked as a bouncer while attending college in Buenos Aires.

“He’s made Catholicism cool in 2013,” says Domenick Canale, a 32-year-old Bronx resident who attended the Mass at St. Pat’s.