“Who am I to judge?” Pope Francis asked during his sermon at Copacabana Beach, which took place after a week in Rio spent celebrating World Youth Day, blessing the Olympic Flag, and most importantly, visiting local slums and prisons. This is not a notion explored by many popes of the past. Pope Francis sees himself not only as an equal to all people, but also as a pope for the people. Once elected to the papacy, Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina chose to name himself after Saint Francis of Assisi, saying, “[Saint Francis] is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation.” Thus inspired, it is Pope Francis’ mission to serve the people of the Roman Catholic Church instead of just the institution.

Pope Francis wishes to end corruption within the hierarchy of the church. “How I would like a church that is poor and that is for the poor,” he said in an address to over five thousand journalists in early October. On October 23; Pope Francis banned German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, commonly known as the “bling-bishop,” from ministry because of his plans to build a 31-million euro (42-million dollar) residence. According to the New York Daily News, no decision has been made on the length of his suspension.

Unlike many religious leaders, Pope Francis did not make the decision to ban the bishop in order to control a situation or for reasons concerning the press, but merely because he did not believe it was right for a man of the church sworn to poverty to so dramatically break his oath while there is such extreme poverty in the world. “It hurts me when I see a priest or nun with the latest-model car. You can’t do this. A car is necessary to do a lot of work, but, please, choose a more humble one. If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of hunger in the world.”

Pope Francis also continues to astound people with his relatively radical views and modern techniques of spreading God’s message. Pope Francis is the first pope to acknowledge the rights of gays within the Church and its role in ministering to same-sex couples and their families. When talking about homosexuality, the Pope explains, “A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: “Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person.” Pope Francis views all people as equally loved by God, no matter their sexuality, social status, or religion. As such, they should be treated with equality, love, and respect. This is a stance that is widely controversial within the Catholic community. In response to ridicule by many on his perspective, Pope Francis responds simply that God’s greatest commandment is to “love thy neighbor as thyself,” and that this comes before all else.

In further efforts to connect with the people of his church, Pope Francis has embraced modern communication techniques. He has gained over three million followers since creating his Twitter persona last March and has nearly 200 tweets. He can be followed “@Pontifex.” Similarly modern is the Pope’s recent survey of lay Catholics on issues facing families, including divorce, single-parent households, same-sex unions, and surrogacy. In an unprecedented move, Pope Francis solicited people’s perspectives on what types of ministry would provide the most comfort and support.

When asked, Pope Francis says that his primary mission is to create a church and a world of love and acceptance. His kindness is evident in the way he interacts with people and in his instinctive goodness. During an address to thousands of people at the Vatican in late October, a little boy climbed on the stage with the Pope. Despite the gentle coaxing of other Church officials on the stage and even bribery with candy by one Cardinal, the little boy walked right up to the Pope and threw his arms around the Pope’s legs. Without skipping a beat, Pope Francis laid a gentle hand on the boy’s head and continued on with his speech. The boy even continued to climb up and plop down onto the Pope’s chair. However, Pope Francis was not concerned in the least bit and only displayed love and amusement towards the little boy.

Pope Francis has quickly become a beloved Pope throughout the Roman Catholic community and the rest of the world and continues to amaze people with his modern perspective, connectedness, and down-to-earth personality.