Pope Francis nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the head of the Vatican City state, has been nominated for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize this year.

A Reuters report, citing Norwegian experts, said Pope Francis was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for "for stressing social justice and care for the environment."

Two years ago, Pope Francis encouraged the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics to fight global poverty, which he called a "scandal" and a "cry."

Just last month, the Roman Catholic pontiff said global warming is "mostly" man-made, and called for action to protect the environment.

Aside from the Pope, another member of the Roman Catholic clergy, Father Mussie Zerai, was also nominated for the award. He is priest of Eritrean origin living in Italy.

Zerai, who was nominated by Peace Research Institute head Kristian Berg Harpviken, helped thousands of African migrants in crossing the Mediterranean, in the face of risks to their lives.

Harpviken likewise nominated Novaya Gazeta, a Russian investigative newspaper known for being critical to Russian President Vladimir Putin and for its corruption exposé.

In the Reuters report, Harpviken said a Nobel award for Novaya Gazeta will "more widely speak to the issue of media freedom."

Another nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize this year includes American Edward Snowden, a former U.S. spy agency contractor who became controversial for leaking information on how citizens are monitored by the state.

Last year, the Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to Pakistani teenager and education activist Malala Yousafzai, and to Indian children's rights advocate Kailash Satyarthi.

The nomination period for the Nobel Peace Prize closed last February 1. The winner of the prestigious award, who will receive $1.2 billion, will be announced in October.