600px-Pope_Francis_in_March_2013

Chang Mei Yen,

Correspondent (Europe)

 

Move over Obama, pop culture has a new, liberal icon, and it’s the head of the traditionally conservative Catholic church, Pope Francis.

Sales of Pope Francis paraphernalia has been soaring as Pope Francis looks set to replace President Obama as the new icon for hope and change in the modern world. Pope Francis t-shirts, onesies, hoodies, and balloons have been popular, reports retailers, particularly those with slogans such as ‘Pope Francis is my homeboy’ or ‘rebel against the culture’, the latter a quote from an address he gave at Rio de Janeiro to youths. Less traditional merchandises, including shot glasses, lamps, trolley bags, duvets, and even underwear, are also in vogue.

This rise in sales stems from Pope Francis’s global popularity after taking over the papacy in March. Since then, he has advocated a shift of the Catholic church to focus on poverty and societal inequality, in contrast to Pope Benedict’s apparent focus in upholding the church’s traditional values against modernism. Pope Francis’ humility has also endeared himself in the hearts of the world, with his personal rejection of much of the glamour and luxury the papal office entails. He lives modestly in a two-room apartment instead of the Apostolic Palace, drives his old Ford Focus, and simplified much of the regalia of the Pope.

Barry Flynn, spokesman for clothing company Catholics with Attitude, said, “We are hearing quotes from the Pope all the time. The Pope is grabbing their [young people's] interest and people are listening to what he has to say.”

Image Courtesy:presidencia.gov.ar [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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Chang Mei Yen

Chang Mei Yen

Chang Mei Yen is a news correspondent for Middle East and Central Asia. She is a graduate from Cardiff University's School of Law, embarking on a gap year.
Chang Mei Yen

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