Photos:: 2014 in review: Pope Francis’ busy year
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I kisses Pope Francis’ head during an ecumenical prayer at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul in November. (Gregorio Borgia / Associated Press)
In March, Pope Francis removed Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, shown in 2013, as the bishop of Limburg, Germany. The cleric’s nickname: The “bishop of bling.” (Arne Dedert / Associated Press)
Pope Francis, right, arrived with bishops and cardinals to attend an afternoon session of a two-week synod on family issues at the Vatican in October. (Andrew Medichini / Associated Press)
Pilgrims and faithful gathered in Rome in April to attend a ceremony where Pope Francis elevated former Popes John XXIII and John Paul II to sainthood. (Alessandra Tarantino / Associated Press)
Newly named Cardinal Leopoldo Jose Brenes is congratulated by congregants at the end of a Mass in Managua, Nicaragua. Pope Francis named his first batch of cardinals on Jan. 12, choosing 19 men from around the globe that include Nicaragua, Chile and Haiti. (Esteban Felix / Associated Press)
In November, Cardinal Raymond Burke, the former archbishop of St. Louis, was removed by Pope Francis from his position as head of the Vatican’s Supreme Court, and was assigned to the largely honorific position of patron of the Order of the Knights of Malta. (Johannes Eisele / AFP/Getty Images)
In September, Pope Francis appointed moderate Bishop Blase Cupich of Spokane, Wash., above, as the new archbishop of Chicago, replacing the retiring Cardinal Francis George. (Paul Beaty / AP)
The headquarters of the Institute for Religious Works, the Vatican’s bank, is seen in 2012. In February 2014, Pope Francis established a single office to handle all business, administrative and personnel management at the Vatican. (Gabriel Bouys / AFP/Getty Images)
