Pope Francis drew 6.6 million at Vatican in 2013
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican says Pope Francis drew more than 6.6 million people to his audiences, Masses and other Vatican events in 2013, more than twice as many as his predecessor Benedict XVI did in his first year as pope.
For comparison's sake, the Vatican reported that some 2.85 million people attended Vatican events in Benedict's first year as pope in 2005.
Pope Francis’ common touch drawing churchgoers
Francis is the first Latin American and first Jesuit pope.