Pope Francis

Pope Francis. The head of the Catholic Church. The one religion most famously and vociferously not Judaism. Born in Argentina to Italian immigrants, he was, by all accounts, reared in good Catholic fashion. He even became a priest! And then a bishop! And then a cardinal! And then… the Pope!

Seriously, what more do you want from us? The man is as Catholic as communion wafers and stained-glass windows. He has dedicated his entire adult life to the Church. There is absolutely no indication of any Jewish heritage, identity, or even a fleeting thought about converting to Judaism (let's be real, his job security might take a hit).

His "Kvell-worthiness" score is purely for the novelty of him being the Pope. It takes a certain chutzpah to reach that level of religious leadership, even if it's for the wrong religion (from our perspective, anyway). We don't score popes highly on Kvell, but we acknowledge the impressive career trajectory from humble beginnings to pontiff.