Why is Pope Francis Increasingly Unpopular in the Americas?

Last updated on: September 29, 2024 at 11:07 am by Andrew Chesnut

0 Comments

Why is Pope Francis Increasingly Unpopular in the Americas? 2024-09-29T11:07:10-04:00 Andrew Chesnut

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The declining popularity of Pope Francis in both Latin America and the United States, as revealed by the Pew Research Center survey, can be attributed to several significant factors. Although the pope remains widely popular among Catholics, his favorability ratings have decreased notably since the beginning of his papacy in 2013. This decline in popularity is largely influenced by his stances on issues related to contraception, the priesthood, and sexuality—topics that divide opinion among Catholics across different countries. Analyzing these key factors offers a deeper understanding of why Pope Francis’s appeal has waned, especially in his native Argentina, and other nations of the Americas.

One of the most telling insights from the Pew Research survey is the growing disconnect between the Church’s traditional teachings and the changing opinions of its members, particularly on issues such as contraception, ordination of women, and same-sex marriage. A majority of Catholics in the surveyed countries believe the Church should adapt to more progressive views. For instance, in Argentina, 86% of Catholics support the use of birth control, a view that contrasts sharply with the Church’s long-standing prohibition on artificial contraception. Similarly, 71% of Argentine Catholics now believe that women should be allowed to become priests, a significant jump from 51% a decade ago. These numbers indicate a growing disconnect between the Vatican’s positions and the views of many parishioners.

This divide is also evident in the United States, where 75% of Catholics still view Pope Francis favorably, but this is a decline from the 85% approval rating he enjoyed in 2014. This drop mirrors shifting opinions within the American Catholic community. While a majority of U.S. Catholics favor reforms such as allowing priests to marry or recognizing same-sex marriage, the Church remains relatively conservative on these issues. This gap between doctrine and public opinion is likely contributing to the Pope’s decreasing favorability.

The Pew survey reveals significant regional differences in how Catholics perceive Pope Francis and the direction of the Church. In Latin America, where the Pope hails from, there has been a particularly sharp decline in his popularity. In his native Argentina, his favorability has dropped from an overwhelming 98% in 2013 to 74% today! This steep decline may be due to both rising frustration with the Church’s perceived unwillingness to address critical social issues and the pontiff’s unwillingness to visit his native land. For example, while a significant majority of Argentine and Chilean Catholics support recognizing same-sex marriages, the Church continues to oppose this. Similarly, the debate over whether priests should be allowed to marry remains contentious. While two-thirds of Catholics in Argentina, Chile, and the United States are in favor of allowing clergy to marry, majorities in Mexico and Peru remain opposed.

The contrast between progressive Catholics in Argentina and Chile and more traditionalist communities in Mexico and Peru highlights the regional complexities that Pope Francis must navigate. His efforts to bridge the gap between the Church’s teachings and the evolving views of its global congregation have had mixed results. While he is seen as a reformer, particularly in regions like Colombia where 62% of Catholics view his impact as representing major change, his reforms have not been sufficient to satisfy those who are pushing for faster and more comprehensive modernization of Church policies.

Another critical factor influencing Pope Francis’s popularity is the level of religious observance among Catholics. The Pew survey notes that Catholics who pray daily are more likely to hold favorable views of the Pope, but they are also less likely to support progressive reforms such as allowing women to become priests or recognizing same-sex marriages. In Mexico, for instance, 38% of Catholics who attend church weekly or more often think the Church should recognize gay marriages, compared to 52% of those who attend church less frequently.

This divide highlights an ongoing tension within the Church between tradition and progress. While Pope Francis has made efforts to emphasize mercy and inclusion, particularly with regard to LGBTQ+ individuals, he has stopped far short of endorsing significant doctrinal changes.This cautious approach may explain why devout Catholics continue to support him, while more progressive or secular Catholics express dissatisfaction with the pace of reform. For many, Pope Francis represents a step in the right direction, but the slow pace of change remains a point of contention and frustration.

The survey also points to a generational divide in how Catholics view both the Church and Pope Francis’s leadership. Younger Catholics across Latin America are more likely to support reforms such as the ordination of women and the recognition of same-sex marriages. For example, 65% of younger Catholics in Colombia support allowing women to become priests, compared to just 49% of older Catholics. Similarly, younger Catholics are generally more supportive of the Church recognizing same-sex marriages.

This generational gap indicates that the decline in Pope Francis’s popularity may also be a result of shifting cultural and societal values among younger Catholics. While older Catholics may still adhere to more traditional views of the Church, younger generations are increasingly aligned with broader global trends favoring gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. Pope Francis’s efforts to position the Church as more compassionate and open to dialogue may resonate with some, but for others, his papacy may not be moving fast enough to keep pace with changing attitudes.

Pope Francis’s declining popularity in Latin America and the United States can be attributed to a combination of factors, including growing divergence between Catholic teachings and the views of parishioners, regional differences in support for reform, and generational divides. While Pope Francis remains broadly popular across the Americas, particularly among devout Catholics, his cautious approach to reforming the Church has left many progressive Catholics feeling frustrated and disappointed. As societal values continue to evolve, the challenge for Pope Francis—and for the Church more broadly—will be to navigate these cultural shifts while maintaining the Church’s core doctrines.

About Andrew Chesnut

Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut earned his Ph.D degree in Latin American History from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1995 and joined the History Department faculty at the University of Houston in 1997. He quickly became an internationally recognized expert on Latin American religious history Professor Chesnut was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Bishop Walter Sullivan Chair in Catholic Studies at VCU in 2008. The chair was established as the Most Rev. Walter F. Sullivan was nearing retirement as the 11th bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond to honor his nearly thirty years of service. For Professor Chesnut the chair became a unique opportunity to develop Catholic studies in a global context and at a large public university. Professor Chesnut’s early work, Born Again in Brazil: The Pentecostal Boom and the Pathogens of Poverty (Rutgers University Press, 1997), traces the meteroric rise of Pentecostalism among the popular classes in Brazil following the disestablishment of the Roman Catholic Church. His second book, Competitive Spirits: Latin America’s New Religious Economy (Oxford University Press, 2003) focuses on the three groups that have prospered most in the region’s pluralist landscape, Protestant Pentecostalism, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and African disasporic religions (e.g., Brazilian Candomble and Haitian Vodou). Professor Chesnut's most recent book is Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint (Oxford University Press, 2025). It is the first in-depth study of the Mexican folk saint in English and has received widespread media coverage. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

September 10, 2024

The Dance of the Black Death