Photos: Pope Francis' first year on the job

Photos: Pope Francis&#039; first year on the job

last updated 8 January 2015

Today marks one year since Pope Francis took over as head of the Catholic church. While Francis' early record is questioned by plenty of critics, John Gehring at The Washington Post gave Francis high marks on his first report card, noting that while the church's doctrine may remain unchanged, many in the flock have found Francis an invigorating spiritual leader:

Skeptics argue that Francis' genius is his mastery of style and say they find little substantive change to celebrate. But in a sacramental religion, symbol is substance. When he washes the feet of a Muslim girl or calls a distressed unwed mother and offers to baptize her baby, those gestures teach more effectively than any fine print in the church’s catechism. [The Washington Post]

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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.