As the Catholic Church prepares to welcome a new leader, American Catholics are expressing varied hopes for the next pope.
FILE - This Dec. 1, 2012 file photo shows a silhouette of a crucifix and a stained glass window inside a Catholic Church in New Orleans. As the Catholic Church prepares to welcome a new leader, American Catholics are expressing varied hopes for the next pope.
According to a, 42% of American Catholics want the next pope to continue the teachings of Pope Francis, while 37% prefer more conservative leadership, and 21% desire more progressive teachings. Pope Francis, who has been noted for his radical reforms and focus on marginalized communities, maintains a 76% approval rating among American Catholics. However, this does not necessarily translate into a desire for his successor to follow directly in his footsteps. The poll also revealed that 55% of American Catholics believe the Church is in touch with their needs, a figure that has improved since Pope Francis assumed the papacy in 2013. Despite this,On other issues, the CBS/YouGov poll found that 79% of Catholics support the use of birth control, 57% are in favor of allowing priests to marry, and 56% support the ordination of women as priests.Political affiliations among Catholic voters are nearly evenly split, with 48% identifying as Republicans or leaning toward the Republican Party, and 47% identifying with or leaning toward the Democratic Party, according to Pew Research Center polls from 2018 and 2019. However, Catholics tend to align more with their political party on specific policy issues than with Church teachings. For instance, 77% of Democratic Catholics believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 63% of Republican Catholics think it should be illegal in all or most cases, according to a 2019 survey.
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