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WASHINGTON.- The popularity of Pope Francis, although remains high in several Latin American countries, it has registered considerable falls since the beginning of his pontificate, with the greatest drop in Argentina, where it plummeted 27 points (from 91% to 64%) in a decade.
Those are the key findings of a report released Thursday by the Pew Research Center -a Washington-based think tank- titled “How people in Latin America and the United States see Pope Francis”. 6,234 adults participated in the survey last year in six Latin American countries, which are among the most populated in the region.
Francisco, in the Luxembourg Cathedral. (Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)ALBERTO PIZZOLI – AFP
A relevant fact is that In all the Latin American countries surveyed, the proportion of people who have an unfavorable opinion of the Pope is increasing. In Mexico, for example, negative opinion of Francisco tripled, from 9% to 27%.
The overall percentage of people who have an unfavorable opinion of the Pope practically doubled. And that increase was notable starting in September 2018.
The survey found that attitudes toward the Pope – in the Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru– are still largely positivealthough generally less than a decade ago. The biggest drop in favorable attitudes was recorded in Argentina, a country that Francis has not yet visited in his pontificate. A decade ago, 91% of Argentines said they had a positive opinion of Francis. That figure has now been reduced to a percentage estimated at 64%. In addition, the negative opinion went from 3% to 30%according to the survey.
When the then archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Bergoglio, became Pope Francis, much of his country celebrated the designation. A decade later, the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church generates divided opinions and much less fervor.
The survey reveals that In Brazil, the positive image of the Pope went from 74% to 68%, and the negative image doubled, rising from 12% to 24%..
In Colombia, the positive rate dropped from 83% to 72%, and the negative rate multiplied from 5% to 24%..
In Chileless than half of adults have a positive opinion of Francisco: c48% compared to 64% which I had at the end of 2013. The negative image also rose from 6% to 36%.
In Mexico, Francisco’s positive image dropped from 74% to 68%. and in Peruthe favorable opinion about the Pontiff fell from 72% to 65%, while the negative rose from 7% to 27%.
Francis, in the Luxembourg Cathedral. (AP/Andrew Medichini)Andrew Medichini – AP
Favorable impressions of Francis among American adults reached a high between 2015 and 2017, when seven in 10 Americans viewed him positively. Currently, 57% of American adults have a favorable opinion of the Pope, the same percentage as when he took office in 2013.
The survey found that American Catholics (75%) are more likely than Protestants (51%) or people with no religious affiliation (56%) to currently have a positive opinion of Francis.
AP Agency
THE NATIONConocé The Trust Project
