Pope Francis continues to be broadly widespread in a number of Latin American international locations. However the portion of people that nonetheless see him favorably in his native Argentina has plunged by virtually 30 proportion factors in a decade.
These are among the many key findings in a report launched Thursday by the Pew Analysis Heart titled: “How Folks in Latin America and the U.S. view Pope Francis.”
The ballot surveyed 6,234 adults final yr in six Latin American international locations which can be among the many area’s most populous.
The ballot discovered that attitudes towards the pope — in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru —are nonetheless broadly constructive though total much less constructive than they have been a decade in the past.
The largest drop in favorable attitudes was recorded within the pope’s Argentina.
A decade in the past, 91% of Argentines mentioned that they’d a constructive opinion of Francis. That quantity has dropped to an estimated 64% in the present day.
When then-Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio grew to become Pope Francis, a lot of his residence nation celebrated it like a World Cup soccer championship.
A decade later, the primary Latin American chief of the Catholic Church generates divided opinions and far much less fervor.
Francis clashed with a few of Argentina’s high leaders when he oversaw the Argentine church and has not returned since he left Argentina in February 2013 to attend the conclave that elected him because the successor to Benedict XVI on March 13.
Analysts and Vatican insiders have mentioned that the pope is making an attempt to keep away from being drawn into the political polarization that has divided Argentines over many years.
However the pope mentioned earlier this yr that he’ll go to his native Argentina within the latter a part of 2024.
It will be the primary time in his practically 11-year-old papacy and whereas his fellow Argentines are struggling economically from a rising poverty fee and one of many world’s highest inflation charges.
The ballot additionally discovered that:
-In Brazil and Mexico, 68% of adults have a positive opinion of the pope.
-In Colombia 72% share this opinion in comparison with 83% of adults in late 2013.
-In Chile solely about half of adults there have a constructive view of Francis.
The favorable impression of Francis amongst U.S. adults reached excessive factors between 2015 and 2017 when seven-in-ten Individuals considered him positively.
As we speak, 57% of U.S. adults have a positive opinion of the pope.
The ballot discovered that U.S., Catholics (75%) are extra doubtless than Protestants (51%) or the religiously unaffiliated (56%) to have constructive views of Francis in the present day.
