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Pope Francis Takes Over Social Media With #BestPopeEver

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - If you think the crowds have been large to see Pope Francis in person, wait until you hear how many follow him on social media.

The pontiff has tens of millions of followers on Twitter.

So many like him, they even started #BestPopeEver in his honor.

He may be the head of the Roman Catholic Church, but he's also a superstar, CBS2's Mary Calvi reported.

It was early on in his papacy that he made his mark.

When Rolling Stone gave him the cover, it called his papacy a "gentle revolution."

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Time Magazine named him person of the year, calling him "the people's pope."

Whether spinning a basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters or spending his birthday with children, Pope Francis has struck a chord with people.

So much so, the younger generation has given him the hashtag #BestPopeEver.

On Twitter, thousands of posts are dedicated to the #BestPopeEver.

Seventy-five percent of New Yorkers have a favorable view of Pope Francis, according to a Siena College Poll.

"He's the voice of the people," said David Zakharov of the Lower East Side. "I was asking my friend the other day. 'Remember Pope John Paul?' He says 'Yeah.' I said 'Who's the guy in between?'"

For the record, it was Pope Benedict who made the rare decision of stepping down, which led to Pope Francis' elevation to the papacy.

When Pope Benedict visited New York in 2008, crowds came to greet him.

Before Benedict, millions adored Pope John Paul II -- Calvi heard the calls for  his immediate sainthood in Rome back in 2005.

Pope John Paul II visited New York City twice. And back in 1965, Pope Paul VI drew thousands to New York City when he visited, the first pope ever to do so.

While all of the popes of modern times saw the love of the faithful, Pope Francis is the first that is able to reach out instantly to a younger generation through social media.  And they are responding in great numbers for a man who many feel is the #BestPopeEver.

There are nine different Twitter accounts that belong to Pope Francis in nine different languages, including Spanish, Italian, Polish, German and Arabic and more.

Since the pope has arrived in the United States, his Twitter followers have increased by hundreds of thousands, Calvi reported.

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