Pope Francis, Strong Contender for Nobel Peace Prize

It is obviously the job of the Pope to promote peace in the world, so awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize would only seem fit. However, the papacy is yet to boast the honor of claiming the award.

Pope Francis seems set to rewrite this bit of papal history as he has been shortlisted as one of the candidates that could win the Nobel Peace Prize. While one would have thought that a Pope would have already been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Christianity Today has reported that no Pope has ever won the prize.

According to Reuters, Pope Francis is one of 278 nominees for the prize this year, a record number. Most are individuals but the nominees include more than 40 organizations.

Pope Francis has been named as one of the top contenders by bookmakers, Paddy Power. Other favorites include Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege, Edward Snowden, the former American intelligence contractor who revealed secret surveillance programs, Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who defied the Taliban, and Russian media outlets such as Novaya Gazeta, according to bookmakers and researchers. The winner will be announced October 10 in Oslo by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Pope Francis, a native of Argentina, was nominated for the prize by the Argentine parliament for his efforts in trying to being peace in Syria.

The Inquisitr has reported that the Pope has denounced the activities of terrorist group ISIS and was vocal in his calls for an urgent end to the Syrian crisis.

Pope Francis’s stance on poverty and his ardent campaign against income inequality also puts him at the top of the list as a favorite to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

In his message to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum held in Davos in January, Pope Francis was quick to challenge the audience at the forum to tackle the problems of inequality and poverty in the world.

“It is intolerable that thousands of people continue to die every day from hunger, even though substantial quantities of food are available, and often simply wasted. Likewise, we cannot but be moved by the many refugees seeking minimally dignified living conditions, who not only fail to find hospitality, but often, tragically, perish in moving from one place to another. I know that these words are forceful, even dramatic, but they seek both to affirm and to challenge the ability of this assembly to make a difference.”

Pope Francis has also been hailed as a reformer, clamping down on corruption and sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Do you think Pope Francis should win the Nobel Peace Prize?

[Image via romannews.com]