Majority of Italians trust the Pope but not the Church, research reveals

Pope Francis is the most trusted person in Italy, according to a new nationwide survey. The research, conducted by the Demopolis Institute, an Italian national research organisation that studies societal trends, found that 76 per cent of Italians trust the Pope, more than any other public figure. The survey included 3,008 interviewees, representative of the The post Majority of Italians trust the Pope but not the Church, research reveals first appeared on Catholic Herald. The post Majority of Italians trust the Pope but not the Church, research reveals appeared first on Catholic Herald.

Jan 23, 2025 - 04:00

Majority of Italians trust the Pope but not the Church, research reveals

Pope Francis is the most trusted person in Italy, according to a new nationwide survey.

The research, conducted by the Demopolis Institute, an Italian national research organisation that studies societal trends, found that 76 per cent of Italians trust the Pope, more than any other public figure. The survey included 3,008 interviewees, representative of the Italian population in terms of gender, age and area of residence.

The findings reflect a 2019 survey by ORB International, which found that the Holy Father had an approval rating of 76 per cent among Italians.

The Pope’s appeal surpasses that of the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, who, as of November 2024, has a 72 per cent approval rating.

Two-thirds of Italians identify Pope Francis’s commitment to peace and fraternity as defining features of his pontificate, reports Zenit, an international non-profit news agency that seeks to promote the role of the Catholic Church and its pontiff.

It adds that the pontiff’s emphasis on aiding the marginalised and promoting Gospel values resonates with 60 per cent of respondents. Additionally, Pope Francis’s approach to communication, which combines, according to the survey, clarity with compassion, has earned him widespread admiration, Zenit reports.

Pope Francis’s popularity in Italy is comparable to that of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who had a 78 per cent approval rating in 2009.

However, when respondents to the Demopolis Institute survey were asked whether they trust the Catholic Church, only 45 per cent said they did. There is also a notable disparity between religious identification and participating in communal worship, as 78 per cent of the country identifies as Catholic, while just 19 per cent regularly attend Holy Mass.

Problems with the Church highlighted by the public, Zenit reports, include reconciling faith with modern realities, addressing sexual abuse scandals and engaging younger generations. It notes that many people also see a need for the Church to achieve more “relevance in discussions about peace and justice while navigating a decline in vocations”.

The Holy Father’s popularity and approval ratings vary considerably across the world. In the United States, it stood at 57 per cent as of last year. However, this figure improves significantly among US Catholics, reaching 75 per cent in 2024.

In his native Argentina, the Holy Father’s approval rating stands at 64 per cent as of 2024. However, this marks a sharp decline from 2013, when it was 91 per cent.

The Pope has also had a tumultuous relationship with the country’s president, Javier Milei, who, before assuming office, referred to the Pontiff as an “imbecile”, among other criticisms. Relations have since improved, and in 2024, Milei extended a formal invitation to the Pope to visit Argentina.

As of 2024, the Holy Father had a 68 per cent approval rating in both Brazil and Mexico. In the predominantly Catholic and socially conservative Philippines – the only sovereign state besides the Vatican without a divorce law – Francis enjoyed a 71 per cent approval rating in 2024.

A global analysis of the Pope’s approval ratings was conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2014, a year after he assumed leadership of the Catholic Church. This study, which surveyed 43 countries and a total of 53,769 individuals, found that a median of 60 per cent held a favourable view of Pope Francis.

By 2017, his overall approval rating still stood at 56 per cent, making him one of the world’s most popular leaders – with the corresponding influence that goes with such esteem on the global stage.

Photo: Pope Francis greets members of the public keen to see him as he leaves the weekly general audience at Paul-VI Hall in the Vatican, Vatican City State, 22 January 2025. (Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images.)