Hmmm, the Pope has experienced a steep decline in his popularity:
Three years into his papacy, a recent study shows global admiration for Pope Francis is in sharp decline.
The pontiff fell seven spots in 2016, from sixth down to 13th among the world’s men, the biggest drop for anyone on last year’s list, and is now no longer either the planet’s most admired spiritual leader (the Dali Lama) or even the most admired Argentine (soccer star Lionel Messi).
However, Pope Francis remains the second-most admired man in the United States after President Barack Obama.
That’s according to a study released by YouGov, an international internet-based market research firm headquartered in the UK, which ranks the world’s 20 most admired men and women separately.
According to YouGov, the pope’s drop may be explained by expectations of reform that distanced Francis from his predecessors, which have dimmed as the Argentine pontiff becomes “institutionalized”.
Go here to read the rest. The explanation given for the Pope’s falling off in popular esteem is risible. More likely is that the Pope now simply comes across now as just another leftist politician, and politicians have ups and down in their approval ratings.
He attracted media publicity because of a few gestures. So he needs to keep performing new tricks.
But the real question is what do faithful, practicing Catholics actually think of him?
I’d guess that the number of converts to the Church has fallen because of the “Francis effect” (at least in first world countries). Are there any stats on this? But, of course, Francis would presumably be pleased at such an outcome.
Who wants to be compared to Obama? People in comas would arise to argue.
I just looked over the rankings and the methodology, and I feel stupider because of it. A terrible study that measures nothing.
Obviously Pope Francis is disturbed by this loss in popularity which for him is apparently what heroin is for me. His reaction? Studying the ordination women in the diaconate:
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http://qz.com/682827/pope-francis-is-taking-a-potentially-major-step-toward-letting-women-be-leaders-in-the-catholic-church/?utm_source=YPL
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If he does this, then I will never darken the door of another Roman Church again. I’ll go Orthodox or or some other Traditionalist place. I for one will not stand for this creeping feminization of the Church. Something has got to be done to stop this man’s liberalism.
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Georgius Bergoglius demovendus et anathemandus est !
I’ve been thinking about this survey some more, and truth be told I don’t really admire anyone on the world stage. At least, no one living. I think this is a Catholic thing. My feelings of that type are directed toward the saints.
If I had to answer this question I would probably pick Ted Cruz for most admired man. I can’t think of a woman I’d choose. (There may be many worth admiration, but I just can’t think of them.) There are some athletes I respect as athletes, and some of those I’ve heard some good things about, but I don’t know them well enough to admire them. There are a bunch that I respect on the field but the best thing I could say about them as people is “he was never charged in that incident”.
Popularity with the world is a very dangerous thing. We are supposed to be conforming the world to the Church – not the other way round. Sadly, this pontificate – with the influence of the gang of liberal cardinals (Kasper & Co) and bishops who want to “change the language” are conforming the Church to the world.
Difficult times.
It is hard to hang on. (re: pope want to ‘clarify” about women deacons)
I feel like my fingers are clinging to the edge of the cliff and then the pope take another step.
JPII already clarified about women in priesthood – bishops, priests, and deacons. But the discussion will probably raise Francis’ ratings.
Fr. Gerald Murray, Fr. Paul Check, B16,
Well, the source of Obama’s supposed “high approval ratings” is Gallup and its most recent presidential approval rating measurement (May 2016):
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http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/gallup-daily-obama-job-approval.aspx
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However, Gallup’s numbers have to be viewed with extreme prejudice: recall how back in Sept. 2012, David Axelrod in a fit of fury with Gallup’s polling unfavorable numbers with respect to Obama, attacked their methodology and in several e-mails threatened them for in fact showing Romney ahead of Obama at that time, 48%-43% (This was before Romney folded up his tent and threw the election in October 2012.). Shortly afterwards, Gallup, out of the blue, was hit with a Dept of Justice suit that was upposedly “unrelated” to Axelrod’s threats:
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http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/06/justice-dept-gallup-lawsuit-came-after-axelrod-criticized-pollsters/
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We know that all the Obama bureaucracies work for one reason: destroy all enemies, and anyone wavering in the middle. Consolidate power and suppress dissent.
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Ever since then–in fact, view the chart from approx. Sept 2012 on—Obama’s Gallup approval ratings have soared (see link #1 above) with no relationship as to any particular reason. If people are at a loss to explain an outcome—the outcome is probably not real.
Gallup’s numbers are faked. Obama’s real approval ratings are probably in the 30’s—but, like the weekly employment reports released by the Dept of Labor, all the numbers have been jimmied.
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As for P. Francis, all the poll histories I have looked at show a steady and pronounced decline, most notably being documented first in 2015:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-pope-francis-approval-rating-drops-in-u-s/
In July, 2015, with respect to P. Francis, a Gallup analyst did his best to impute the drop in PF’s favorability to the bad-faith of “political conservatives”—a safe haven for a Gallup analyst, after being sued by the DOJ:
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” ‘ Gallup analyst Art Swift wrote that the decline among conservatives “may be attributable to the pope’s denouncing the ‘idolatry of money’ and attributing climate change partially to human activity, along with his passionate focus on income inequality — all issues that are at odds with many conservatives’ beliefs.” ‘
.. —-“Pope Francis Approval Rating Drops in US”, cbsnews.com, July 23, 2015
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-pope-francis-approval-rating-drops-in-u-s/
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So, if P Francis cant get Obama to sue Gallup to protect his poll numbers, the reality of this pope’s precipitous plunge in popularity is now an accepted reality. It isn’t going to get better, with the now-recent announcement of PF that he wants to consider women’s ordination. I wonder what church he presides over.
Thank you Steve Phoenix