Why Pope Francis should win the Nobel Peace Prize 2014.

Pope Francis

 Alfred Nobel a Swedish industrialist left the bulk of his fortune to create the Nobel Prizes to honor work in five areas, including peace. In his 1895 will, he said one part was dedicated to that person "who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." The first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly in 1901 to Jean Henry Dunant, founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and French peace activist and economist Frédéric Passy.

Of all the prizes awarded during the Nobel week every October, none is more anticipated and talked about than the peace prize. This year, the committee that picks the winner received 278 nominations, more than any other time in the past. And the buzz has steadily built leading to Friday's announcement.

The smart money is on Pope Francis. His win would be historic -- he'd become the first Roman Catholic pontiff to win the peace prize. But the Nobel committee is notorious for making surprise choices. Think President Barack Obama's win the first year of his presidency.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technician and nightclub bouncer before beginning seminary studies. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969 and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina's Provincial Superior of the Society of Jesus. He became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.

Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European pope since the Syrian Gregory III in 741, 1,272 years earlier.

Throughout his public life, both as an individual and as a religious leader, Pope Francis has been noted for his humility, his concern for the poor and his commitment to dialogue as a way to build bridges between people of all backgrounds, beliefs and faiths. He is known for having a simpler and less formal approach to the papacy, most notably by choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors. In addition, due to both his Jesuit and Ignatian aesthetic, he is known for favoring simpler vestments void of ornamentation, including refusing the traditional papal mozzetta cape upon his election, choosing silver instead of gold for his piscatory ring, and keeping the same pectoral cross he had when he was cardinal.

Why he should win: His empathy and compassion toward the disenfranchised has earned him fans worldwide. While his predecessors have reveled in the luxuries that come with the position, Francis, by contrast, has discarded a slew of things, including his bulletproof Popemobile, making him appear more relatable to the masses. The "rock star" Pope has shaken up the Vatican, redefined the papacy and breathed new life into the church.