Americans say they like pope, not as sure about his interfaith effort

Published: 2007-09-27

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Most Americans, both Catholics and non-Catholics, have a favorable view of Pope Benedict XVI, but they give him mixed reviews on his efforts to promote good relations with other religions, according to a new survey on major religions and various religious leaders. Released Sept. 25 by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, the survey showed that 73 percent of Americans who said they are familiar with him and 86 percent of Catholics have a favorable view of Pope Benedict. But on the ecumenical front, 38 percent said he was doing an excellent or good job while 46 percent said his efforts were fair or poor. Although the survey asked several questions about the pontiff, its primary focus was on American opinions of Islam and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which the survey also referred to as Mormonism. The responses indicated that most Americans have hazy perceptions about both of these faith practices that have recently gained more national visibility. Most respondents also found these faiths to be very different from their own beliefs. The survey was conducted Aug. 1-18 by telephone with 3,002 adults in a nationwide sample.

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