Where Pope Francis stood in the eyes of American Catholics

Pope Francis, who changed the papacy, was very popular with more than 60 million American Catholics, according to the recent public opinion poll.

Through seventy -eight percent of American Catholics, a positive opinion of the Pope in an opinion poll conducted in early February, shortly before entering the long hospital for Francis for the dual pneumonia. The 88 -year -old died on Monday

Francis’s popularity between American Catholics was fixed for dozens of years for the Pope, as it reached 90 % in an opinion poll conducted by Pio February 2015.

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“Pope Francis has widespread support among American Catholics – which certainly exceeds the popularity of any elected officials in the United States,” veteran political scientist Wayne Lespress, president of New England College, told Fox News.

The United States of Catholics generally saw Francis more positively than its direct predecessor in the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Francis Benedict XVI in March 2013, the latter was the bishop of Rome, who has been resigning since the Middle Ages. (MAURIX/GAMMA-RAPHO via Getty Images)

Five ways of Pope Francis on the Catholic Church

Benedict’s preferential classifications ranged between 67 % and 83 % in the Pew during his eight years of Kababa.

Although Francis’s attempts, which are popular with many Catholics, make him more comprehensive made him an enemy of some in the conservative wing of the Church. There was a lot of decline against the Pope’s movements to reform a very divided church.

These divisions may have contributed to the partisan division when it comes to Catholic opinions about Francis.

According to the PEW poll in February, 88 % of the United States of Catholic who have learned that they were democratic or inclined towards the Democratic Party have a positive vision of the Pope. But the favorable opinions of Francis decreased to 69 % between the United States of Catholic who said they were Republicans or tended to the Republican Party.

Flags in half of the employees next to the Cathedral of the Holy Heart Church after the death of Pope Francis by the Vatican, in Newark, New Jersey, April 21, 2025. (Eduardo Monoz/Reuters)

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“His reform agenda, focusing on the values ​​that sought to raise the poorest and most marginalized individuals in the world, have played better with the Catholic Democrats than Republicans.”

“Despite criticizing the current management position in building the wall, collective deportation, and migrants, the late Pope enjoyed supporting nearly two -thirds of the Catholic Republicans. His legacy will be the reform and social justice of Catholics all over the world.”