Pope Francis was named "Man of the Year" in the newly released Italian edition of Vanity Fair. The magazine said the pontiff's first 100 days at the Vatican has made him one of the most respected top leaders in the world.

The 76-year-old leader of the Catholic Church graces the cover of Vanity Fair Italy dressed in simple white robes. The magazine said Pope Francis's words were "heavier than boulders". His first 100 days as Pope has boosted his name to the top of the list of the world's most respected leaders who are making history. The revolution continues according to Vanity Fair.

Vanity Fair Italy also published various interviews with celebrities who paid homage to Pope Francis. Italian singer Andrea Bocelli and British pop star Elton John have nothing but kind words for the Argentinian pope.

Elton John said the pope was "a miracle of humility in an age of vanity." John said he hopes Pope Francis will get his message of faith and love even further to reach marginalised communities in society. The openly gay pop legend says he wants the pope to reach out to those who desperately need his love like the homosexuals.

Andrea Bocelli said Pope Francis is a gift from God to the Church which forces of evil have crushed and tortured.

Road to reform

Since his election as the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has been on the road to reform. The pope truly wants to change the Church as he's planning to reform the Vatican Bank first. The pope wants to ensure clarity and determine how the financial institution will handle its responsibility in line with the mission of the church.

The pope has been excluding the Vatican in every way he can like his recent trip to the island of Lampedusa in the southern part of Italy. The Vatican secretary, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, only learned about the trip through a papal press release. Instead of the long preparations the Vatican does when its leader heads off for a journey, Pope Francis took the Vatican by surprise and ordered the staff to prepare a plane since he will fly to the island in the morning.

The pope wants to pray with thousands of refugees who go to Lamedusa by boat from their journey across the Mediterranean from North Africa. The pope also declared he doesn't want to meet with local officials and ordered them to stay away.