It’s that time of the year again. Radio stations are playing the same twelve Christmas songs on repeat, you’ve already gained about ten pounds, and companies are starting to release their 2013 year-in-review wrap-ups. Life is so predictable.

Today’s year-in-review release is probably the most interesting of all (sans Google, maybe), if for nothing else than the sheer volume of data considered. With over 1 billion people (globally) on Facebook, the social giant’s data review can be a fun, if not altogether educational, look into the global culture.

And if you’re wondering who stole the Facebook show this year, wonder no more. The man with the most Facebook buzz in 2013 was none other than your humble leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis. He edged out “election” (generic), the royal baby, “typhoon,” and Margaret Thatcher as the most-talked-about topic of the year, globally.

In the U.S., he placed 6th, following the Super Bowl, Government Shutdown, Boston Marathon, Syria Crisis, and the Harlem Shake.

Here’s Facebook’s top ten most-discussed topics of 2013:

1. Pope Francis
2. Election
3. Royal Baby
4. Typhoon
5. Margaret Thatcher
6. Harlem Shake
7. Miley Cyrus
8. Boston Marathon
9. Tour de France
10. Nelson Mandela

This list is part of Facebook’s annual year-in-review, which you can check out here. There, you can also begin your own journey with a personalized year-in-review, which highlights your top moments on the social network in 2013. Facebook first instituted this neat little feature last year.

2013 – A Year in Review from Facebook Stories on Vimeo.

In other top Facebook trends of 2013 news, the most talked-about TV shows of the year was Scandal, and the place where the most users checked in throughout the year was Disneyland.

Image via Wikimedia Commons