Pope Francis put out his pro-climate encyclical eight weeks ago, getting mass media attention, but the latest Gallop poll shows the people were not so enthused:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pope Francis’
favorability rating in the U.S. has returned to where it was when he was
elected pope. It is now at 59%, down from 76% in early 2014. The
pontiff’s rating is similar to the 58% he received from Americans in
April 2013, soon after he was elected pope.
Is this about “climate change” — the encyclical has 245 paragraphs,
16 mentions of “climate”, 7 mentions of “carbon”, and more than 100
mentions of the “environment”. Moreso it reported around the globe as a
“coup” on the climate issue by groups who normally think the Pope is
wrong, silly and anachronistic. Furthermore, the biggest change has
come among Catholics, Protestants, and especially conservatives. But
he’s less popular among liberals too.
The drop in the pope’s favorable rating
is driven by a decline among Catholics and political conservatives, two
groups that have been ardent supporters of the modern papacy.
Seventy-one percent of Catholics say they have a favorable image of
Francis, down from 89% last year."
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