POPE Francis and former US diplomat Dr Richard Haass are among five nominees in line to receive the 2013 Tipperary International Peace Award.

The winner will be announced in the coming days and the award presented in Tipperary next year.

Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff, has been nominated for his humility, concern for the poor and commitment to dialogue as a way to build bridges between people of all backgrounds, beliefs and faiths, the Tipperary Peace Convention said.

Dr Haass, who has worked over Christmas to broker agreement on unresolved issues in the Northern Ireland peace process, has previously been awarded the US State Department's Distinguished Service Award for his work in the province.

Other nominees include the International Peace Bureau, which includes 300 members across 70 countries, and which is dedicated to the vision of a world without war.

Sister Mary Tarcisa Lokot is known for her work in helping to rebuild Northern Uganda and to reach out to those who were once responsible for mass killings, while co-founder of the Taekwondo Peace Corps, Dr Lee Kyu Hyung, is also nominated for his work promoting peace through martial arts.

Previous winners include the recently deceased Nelson Mandela, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and late Senator Gordon Wilson from Enniskillen.

Former US President Bill Clinton and former President Professor Mary McAleese and her husband Senator Martin McAleese also won.

Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai travelled with her father Ziauddin to receive the award in Tipperary last August. The 16-year-old education activist, who received the award in 2012, was attacked by Taliban gunmen in October that year after she campaigned for girls to go to school without fear.

Irish Independent