A scandal of sexual abuse sends Pope Francis' approval among American Catholics to new hollows


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Overall, 72% of Catholics in the United States see Francis in a very favorable or rather favorable light (84% in January), but when asked how he tackled sexual abuse in the church, the number of precipitous decline.

In February 2014, more than seven out of ten Catholics attending the weekly Mass were satisfied with Francis' handling of the scandal, but in the September Pew survey, only 34% of respondents they had approved.

Approval was even lower among the less accustomed (30%), but they have long deprecated the way Francis approached the scandal. In February 2014, only 46% said that he was doing a good job with this software.

Francis's dissatisfaction with the scandal was fairly consistent in the church's multiple demographic data: only 28% of elderly parishioners, 27% of men, 36% of women, 24% of conservatives and 37% of Liberals gave him a thumb. up.

Conversely, the pope received much higher scores in all Catholic demographics for "defending traditional morality," although these numbers of approval also continue to decline significantly since February 2014.

The Pew poll comes just weeks after a CNN poll showed that only 48% of Americans had a favorable opinion of Francis, down from 66% in January 2017. The CNN poll also revealed a drop 20 points – from 83% to 63%. % – in its index of favorability among Catholics.

When Francis climbed to the top of the church in March 2013, he quickly gained a reputation for being open-minded and dedicated to reform. His work with the poor was particularly praised.

The youth is scandalized, says Francis
As the scandal of sexual abuse progressed, it was increasingly criticized, notably by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who notably accused Francis of lifting the sanctions imposed by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. to former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
McCarrick was forced to resign earlier this year following accusations that he assaulted an altar boy and sexually abused young seminarians.

More than 46,000 Catholic women signed an open letter to Francis asking him to be more forthright in Vigano's accusations.

"We need leadership, truth and transparency," wrote the women. "We, your flock, deserve your answers now."

While Francis, during his tenure, was generally considered more favorably than his predecessor, Benedict, the Pew study suggests that this may no longer be the case.

Benoît's lowest approval rate was achieved in 2005, while only 67% of Catholics considered him favorably. However, when he resigned in 2013, his approval rate was 74%.

That's two more points than the most recent figures for Francis.

Daniel Burke from CNN contributed to this report.

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