My mother would share her stories about studying in a Catholic school as a young girl, always mentioning how close she became to her religious leaders and how much she valued their spiritual guidance. When the new Pope was appointed, she was reminded of her roots.

Since Pope Francis’ appointment on March 13, he has initiated many changes relating to the Catholic church and the points of view associated with it, being labelled as “the people’s Pope” and the person of the year by Time’s magazine, the newly appointed leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics has truly changed the image of the Catholic church.

The Argentinian Pope began his papacy by refusing many of the luxuries offered to high church officials. He insisted on keeping the humble lifestyle he pursued in Argentina. Pope Francis choosing to live in one of the papal apartments as opposed to the Papal palace.

The changes this Pope has made to the church, focusing more on love of God as opposed to love of materials, reflects the more human part of religion.

In addition to his change of living quarters, the new Pope has begun executing different duties himself, as opposed to delegating them to officials of lower status. On New Years, the Pope decided to dial a small nunnery in Spain to wish them a happy new year. The nuns did not answer the phone, luckily, Pope Francis left a short message, wishing the nuns a happy New Year.

According to the BBC on March 28, 2013, Pope Francis commented about his experience in a detention center helping inmates, “We need to go out to the outskirts where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters.”

He also forgoes much of the traditional frills of the Papal clothing, insisting on the simple white garb and the iron cross he used as an Archbishop in Argentina, where he had originally pursued a humble lifestyle.

Not only has he changed the material possessions surrounding him, but also he insists on the title of Archbishop of Rome as opposed to the more formal title of Pope.

He insists, in a quote collected by The Vatican Insider on Sept. 16, 2013 about the Pope’s views on the church becoming involved in politics, “‘A good Catholic doesn’t meddle in politics.’ That’s not true. That is not a good path. A good Catholic meddles in politics.”

The Pope has shared his ideas on capitalism, commenting that the ideas of trickle-down economics are impractical and that a free market creates a climate that could be detrimental to the less wealthy classes.

What might be the newest Pope’s most famous stance is his support of homosexuals in the church. He does not condemn the lifestyle and has said, beginning in Dec. 2013, that he believes that homosexuals who actively pursue a righteous and moral life should be treated with the same respect as a moral heterosexual person.

NBC introduced a quote on July 29, 2013 said by the Pope in a press conference on his flight back from Brazil, “They say they exist. If someone is gay, who searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?”

Pope Francis’ love for all Catholics and his willingness to accept the unconventional and take change in stride shows a different kind of Catholic Church than what the world has seen.