Fortune Magazine Names Pope Francis 4th "Greatest World Leader"

Despite Giving Top Spot to Francis in Last Year’s List of 50, Fortune Felt Compelled to Include Him Again

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Fortune magazine has named Pope Francis the fourth greatest leader in the world.

Last year, in the first annual release of the global business magazine’s rankings of the 50 World’s Greatest Leaders, the Pope was given the number one spot.

In its second just released list, Francis is given fourth place in the ranking of the “extraordinary men and women who are transforming business, government, philanthropy, and so much more,”according to the magazine.

Since becoming Pope in 2013, the magazine said that the Holy Father, “has been shaking up the management of one of the world’s largest bureaucracies: the Roman Catholic Church.”

While noting this earned him the “top spot” on Fortune’s list of World’s Greatest Leaders last year, the magazine says “his vision, fortitude, and commitment to reform were so extraordinary in 2014 that we’re including him again this year.”

“It is not just that he has led by example—by now it’s well known that the pope, who has long championed the virtues of charity and modesty, has forgone the traditional suite in the Apostolic Palace, opting instead to reside in a one-bedroom apartment in the Vatican guesthouse.”

“Less known is how decisive he is in personnel choices,” the magazine continued, “replacing the boards of the Vatican Bank and its main regulatory body with highly respected business-people from around the globe.”

Despite perhaps some pushback, “this pontiff is not easily conned,” it says.

“He gets information on all important church personnel and organizations from a variety of sources” and has even ensured “operating budgets are now pruned to ensure that as much money as possible can go to charity.”

“This, after all, is a pope who lives his own lessons,” it says.

In the year since his election, the Pope has been named Person of the Year by Time, and made the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, among others. 

Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. and founded in 1930.

Number one on this year’s list is Apple CEO Tim Cook chosen for his strong leadership after the death of Steve Jobs. Number two is European Central Bank President Mario Draghi and third is Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

Others to make the list are the Prime Minister of India, Bill and Melinda Gates, and the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, pop singer Taylor Swift, and Mark Zuckerberg.

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On the NET:

Fortune Magazine (Full List for 2015): http://fortune.com/worlds-greatest-leaders/

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Deborah Castellano Lubov

Deborah Castellano Lubov is Senior Vatican & Rome Correspondent for ZENIT; author of 'The Other Francis' ('L'Altro Francesco') featuring interviews with those closest to the Pope and preface by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (currently published in 5 languages); Deborah is also NBC & MSNBC Vatican Analyst. She often covers the Pope's travels abroad, often from the Papal Flight (including for historic trips such as to Abu Dhabi and Japan & Thailand), and has also asked him questions on the return-flight press conference on behalf of the English-speaking press present. Lubov has done much TV & radio commentary, including for NBC, Sky, EWTN, BBC, Vatican Radio, AP, Reuters and more. She also has contributed to various books on the Pope and has written for various Catholic publications. For 'The Other Francis': http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page219.html or https://www.amazon.com/Other-Francis-Everything-They-about/dp/0852449348/

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