Global

More in United States believe Pope Francis 'too liberal, naive'

March 09, 2018 03:57·
Pope adds feast of Mary Mother of the Church to universal calendar

Pope adds feast of Mary Mother of the Church to universal calendar

Pope Francis has decreed that Latin-rite Catholics around the world will mark the feast of "the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church" on the Monday after Pentecost each year.

The number of American Catholics who believe that Pope Francis represents a significant positive change for the Roman Catholic Church after his predecessors Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II has fallen by eleven percentage points in the 3-year period from 2015 to 2018, Pew found. Only 19 percent of Democrats thing he is too liberal, and just 18 percent say he is too naïve, just a slight increase from 2015. His overall favourable rating is down one point, from 85 to 84 per cent, from a 2014 poll.

Similarly, one-third of Catholic Republicans now say Francis is "naïve", up from 16 percent held this view in 2015.

The "Francis effect"-a phrase used to describe the presumed positive impact of Pope Francis upon Catholicism-has been used so often that it has inspired a book, a podcast, and a documentary". A quarter of them say Pope Francis is "naïve".

Slimmer majorities of black Protestants (53 per cent) and white evangelical Protestants (52 per cent) also approve of the Pope. Nine percent of white evangelicals were unfavorable toward Pope Francis when he was chosen pope in 2013.

The survey introduced new questions not asked in past polls.

Carol Batchelor, director of the Division of International Protection for the United Nations refugee agency, told the conference there are 66 million refugees or forcibly displaced persons in the world today -"the highest number ever" -and that a refugee child's average wait for resettlement is now 17 years, "their entire childhood". Another 23 per cent say their priests are "somewhat supportive" of the pontiff.

New Jersey driver killed after driving around barricade onto live wires
It was near live power lines lying on the roadway, according to police. The victim's name was not immediately made public.

Kepler Capital Markets Analysts Give Merck KGaA (MRK) a €111.00 Price Target
It is negative, as 42 investors sold CNK shares while 87 reduced holdings. 7 funds opened positions while 29 raised stakes. Legacy Capital Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc.by 43.3% during the 2nd quarter.

Analytical Report on GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME)
Jane Street Group Llc increased its stake in Sina Corp (SINA) by 21.18% based on its latest 2017Q3 regulatory filing with the SEC. The company was maintained on Thursday, December 10 by SunTrust. (NYSE: GME ) on Friday, January 13 to "Neutral" rating.

The Eucharistic Prayer also asks God to gather all of his children together in "the perfection of love", and in union with the pope and the local bishop, who is mentioned by name as a sign that "we celebrate in communion with the universal Church and with the particular church", Francis said. And 55 per cent say he is doing an "excellent" or "good" job addressing environmental issues. The same number said Francis has done at least "a little" to further the acceptance of divorce and remarriage, and that this was either "the right amount" or they wish he'd "do more".

The work is not over, Pope Francis concluded, "together, he said, we must encourage countries to coordinate more suitable and effective responses to the challenges posed by issues of migration; and we can do this on the basis of the essential principles of the Church's social teaching".

"In order to set free those who today are oppressed, rejected and enslaved", Catholics must promote dialogue with government leaders, "a dialogue that takes into account people's actual experiences, sufferings and aspirations, in order to remind everyone once more of his or her responsibilities", he told Catholic leaders working on refugee and migration issues. The Holy Father said it's important for the Church to contribute to this compact by spreading awareness of the situations in so many parts of the world. Some said his most significant action was setting a good Christian example (9%), while others said it was his focus on helping the poor (8%) or being more accepting (9%).

The truth is, she said, that some 258 million people are living outside their homelands, which is just 3.4 percent of the global population; majority are not in need of special assistance or protection and they overwhelmingly migrated through safe and legal channels.

Today, by contrast, Pope Francis' favorability rating is 10 points higher among Catholic Democrats (89 percent) than among Catholic Republicans (79 percent).

And about 9 in 10 U.S. Catholics describe Francis as "compassionate" and "humble", according to the survey conducted from January 10-15 and released on Tuesday.

Recommended News

Join The Conversation

We are pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news.
Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper.
Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.