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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPope Francis' Popularity Makes Catholics More Excited About Their Faith
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A new poll released Thursday finds that American Catholics aren't just overwhelmingly in favor the Holy Father, but have become 'more excited' about their faith. Four-tenths of them are praying more and one-fifth are reading the Bible more often.
Pope Francis has been Pope for almost a year, and now theres actual data to support a trend everyone has noticed: Pope Francis is one popular dude.
A new Pew Research Center report released Thursday finds that U.S. Catholics overwhelmingly have a favorable view of the Holy Father. More than half view Francis very favorably, and a third view him mostly favorably, giving Francis a net favorability rating of 85%. Thats generally about ten points higher than Pope Benedict XVIs overall favorability ratings between 2005 and 2013, but a few points shy of Pope John Paul IIs ratings that soared to 93% two decades ago.
Whats most interesting about the reports findings however is not that Francis is popularthats been fairly obviousbut rather that his papacy coincides with the growth of Catholics personal expression of their faith. Over the last year, a quarter of Catholics say they have become more excited about their faith, four-in-ten Catholics say they are praying more, and one-in-five say they have been reading the Bible more often. The survey questions did not explicitly tie personal religiosity to Francis, but did indicate a more intense religiosity among Catholics since he has been the Holy Father.
http://time.com/13531/pope-francis-catholics-popular
Niceguy1
(2,467 posts)He may go on to dp great things
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)And yes, Francis gets much credit for his leadership there, as do his Bishops. The Bishops claim they have been too busy 'on retreat' to even review this vicious law, vacation being a priority, but they expect to make comments soon....they are not yet sure about it, they may or may no support it.
Cairo -- Uganda's Catholic bishops have begun reviewing a text of the country's new anti-gay law in order to come up with "an educated" response, said a senior church official.
"We want to do a good, educated study of it, so we can make an educated judgment," said Msgr. John Baptist Kauta, secretary-general of the Uganda Episcopal Conference.
Kauta, who spoke to Catholic News Service by phone March 5, more than week after the controversial bill became law, said the bishops had just finished a retreat and had only gotten an official text of the new law the previous day.
http://ncronline.org/news/global/ugandas-bishops-reviewing-countrys-anti-gay-law-says-church-official
Such 'intense religiosity'!!!!