REX USA/AGF s.r.l./Rex/Jason LaVeris/FilmMagicMiley Cyrus made a good run for it, but in the end, she was not named Time's Person of the Year.
That esteemed title goes to Pope Francis, who received the honor on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Nancy Gibbs, Time's Managing Editor made the highly anticipated announcement on Today.
The 21-year-old pop star was at one point leading the magazine's online poll, with 28 percent of users voting her into that top spot. Egypt's General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi eventually bested Cyrus and won it, receiving 449,596 votes, or 26.2 percent of the total. The "Wrecking Ball" singer landed in third place, receiving 279,300 votes or 16.3 percent. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan came in second.
The 76-year-old 226th Pope of the Catholic Church bested a wide-ranging and diverse group of public figures.
Edward Snowden, an American fugitive and former National Security Administration computer specialist who leaked thousands of top-secret documents about U.S. surveillance programs, was the runner-up.
Rounding out the top five were gay rights activist Edith Windsor, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Tea Party Senator Ted Cruz.
The Person of the Year title is awarded to the individual who had the most influence on the world and the news—for better or worse—over the past year. Time's editors make the selection.