Today marks the end of Pope Francis’ visit to the US and the end to an exciting week full of hope and positivity.

Arriving in Washington DC on Tuesday September 22, he met with US President Barack Obama and spoke to the Joint Session of Congress before jetting off to New York to address the UN General Assembly, attend an interfaith service at the 9/11 memorial and saying mass in Madison Square Garden.

He finished off his trip by spending the weekend in Philadelphia from where he will depart for Rome today.

He has attracted thousands and thousands out to greet him but why? We look at why Pope Francis is so loved.

1. Pope Francis promotes happiness not fear

It is rare to see an image of Pope Francis in which he is not smiling and that is because he doesn’t just promote a life of positivity and happiness, he lives it. In 2014, he offered us up his 10 keys to happiness so everybody would know his secret to a happy lifestyle.

2. He cares about our planet

Pope Francis believes we need to do more to save our planet from climate change. He took a tough stance on this while addressing the UN General Assembly during his New York visit. “The ecological crisis, and the large scale destruction of biodiversity, can threaten the very existence of the human species,” he said.

#PopeFrancis says "we can make a difference" with climate change. Can he? http://t.co/myZb8hrmBg #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/HxZnBEA03o

— New Republic (@NewRepublic) September 24, 2015

3. He’s willing to forgive

Although Pope Francis is still very much a conservative and will not go far enough for some, he is willing to forgive those who he doesn’t agree with, and that is at least a step towards the future. For example, he recently shocked many more conservative members of the Church by stating that women who have an abortion should be forgiven although he does still believe it’s a sin.

Pope Francis Name-Drops Dorothy Day: The Socialist, Pacifist, Catholic Who Had an Abortion http://t.co/3J6OEKUo9p pic.twitter.com/mlcuETpZVo

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) September 24, 2015

4. He doesn’t just speak, he acts on it

When addressing the refugee crisis in Europe, Pope Francis did not just ask others to take them into their homes, he invited two families to stay in the Vatican.

The pope has a radical solution for the refugee crisis: the Golden Rule #PopeInDC http://t.co/Asodtl4tbr pic.twitter.com/oQ6qe6OiQY

— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) September 24, 2015

5. He brings all religions together

Regardless of religion, everybody was excited to have Pope Francis in the US. All creeds were included in his visit, highlighted by the interfaith service that took place at the 9/11 memorial last Friday morning, attended by religious leaders from Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism Buddhism and Sikhism, all offering prayers on the theme of peace.

The Holy See also disagrees with those who try and convert others, believing that we should engage in open dialogue about our own identity instead of attempting to force beliefs on others.

Follow along with this official program as Pope Francis leads multi-faith prayer service. http://t.co/dOciJCsn4N pic.twitter.com/oPn0iRKfHR

— PIX11 News (@PIX11News) September 25, 2015

6. He once lived in Dublin

As reported by IrishCentral earlier this week, Pope Francis spent a few months in Dublin 35 years ago to study English.

Pope Francis first attempted to learn English when he went to live in Dublin, Ireland in 1980 http://t.co/uM8WlabIHN pic.twitter.com/TM6UBb1ZiL

— ABC News (@ABC) September 24, 2015

7. He’s a humanist

Ridding the world of inequality is one of the main aims of Pope Francis who has committed himself during his time as Pope to make sure that the worth of each person is recognized.

.@BilldeBlasio: @Pontifex is the world's most powerful critic of inequality http://t.co/LwWPTCiWec via @CNNOpinion pic.twitter.com/oZ33WmFW7m

— CNN (@CNN) September 24, 2015

8. He cares about young people

Stopping off and visiting schools has been among the many things listed on Pope Francis’ packed agenda during his time here. He has already also stated that he wants to tackle youth unemployment so as to help young people worldwide live better lives.

9. He believes in rest and relaxation

Although he may work on a Sunday, that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to. As part of his 10 keys to happiness, Pope Francis states that Sunday is most definitely a day of rest and we should all put time aside for ourselves, having “a healthy sense of leisure.”

Pope Francis reveals top 10 secrets to happiness. Secret #4 - Have a healthy sense of leisure pic.twitter.com/nHofXp05bX

— Fox5NY (@fox5ny) September 25, 2015

10. He is willing to meet with everybody

Pope Francis is known as a man of the people because he’s willing to interact with them. He’s been seen joking around with newly-married couples in the Vatican and he even engages in dialogue with atheists.

Still can't believe we received a newlywed blessing from @Pontifex earlier this week! God bless Pope Francis! pic.twitter.com/lipL3mgN9f

— Daniel Adams (@MarysMealsDan) January 30, 2015

Related: New York, Catholic