Since his election in March, Pope Francis' audiences at St. Peter's Square have included more than two million people, which is four times the number that Pope Benedict drew in all of 2012.
The Vatican said on Wednesday it had issued 1,548,500 tickets for the 30 Wednesday general audiences Francis has held since his election on March 13 as the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, Reuters reported.
Since no tickets are needed for the rear section of the square and surrounding streets, the actual number would be "much larger." The surrounding streets which accommodate an area of 20,000 visitors are usually filled during Francis' audiences.
The Vatican did not issue comparative figures on Wednesday, but figures released on Jan. 4 showed that 447,000 tickets were issued for the 43 general audiences held by former Pope Benedict in all of 2012, according to Reuters.
Named Time magazine's Person of the Year, the Pope has become famous for his outgoing, simple and friendly style. He has been able to attract more people than Benedict who was far more reserved and less spontaneous. Francis has also made headlines for giving up most of the usual luxuries used by his predecessors.
He has given up the spacious papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace for a small apartment in a guest house. He's driven in a regular car instead of the papal limousine, Reuters reported.
Urging the Church to be closer to the poor and to be more merciful and less condemning has also earned Francis a lot of popularity. The crowds at Francis' general audiences have often topped 100,000, forcing police to close off the main boulevard leading to the Vatican to accommodate more people, Reuters reported.
The Vatican's Prefecture of the Pontifical Household issues free tickets to audiences and all other papal events through parishes and Church institutions.
