He only joined the Vatican in March, but the pontiff has been the biggest driver of conversation on the social network ever since, with national elections in Italy, India, Kenya and Iran being the second most-talked about topic globally.
Pope Francis is somewhat of a social media guru having also racked up more than 10 million followers across his nine Twitter accounts within just a few months. He also joined Instagram in October and attracted thousands of followers in the first few weeks.
Other popular Facebook topics about Italy this year included footballer Mario Balotelli, the former Pope Benedict, who resigned in February, scientist Margherita Hack, who passed away in June, and the rise in taxes.
October's boat tragedy in Lampedusa, in which over 300 migrants died, and the ongoing Costa Concordia trial have also driven conversation on the social network this year.
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