Francis and the Americans – What's Happening?

By Arthur McCaffrey
The Tablet
August 4, 2015

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/blogs/1/696/francis-and-the-americans-what-s-happening-

US media has been all agog about the latest Gallup Poll numbers alleging that Pope Francis' popularity has waned in America, just prior to his historic visit to Congress and the White House in late September. Is this just a storm in a teacup, or is the fuss justified?

Several themes emerged to explain the alleged drop, most marked (- 27 points) among politically conservative respondents. The New York Times and the Washington Post both cite Republican displeasure at the Pope inserting himself into the debate over global economics and climate change. With many Catholics in the Republican Party, a Boston Globe headline similarly proclaimed that the slump was due to "conservative dismay", citing some Catholic think-tank conservatives who, after listening to Francis' themes of poverty, injustice and pollution during his recent Latin America trip, complained they were tired of being "scolded" and nagged by the Pope about their responsibilities.


Veteran Vatican insider John Allen, editor of "All Things Catholic" for the Boston Globe, worries that around the Pope's visit there may be a backlash from right-wing critics of the his teachings because of the many signals Francis has given that the US (champion of free market capitalism) may be a big part of the problem of global inequity.

Nevertheless, a professor of moral theology at Boston College, Fr James Bretzke, managed to see a silver lining, telling the New York Times, "They're not always agreeing with [Francis] but they are clearly listening."

Some of the drop in papal ratings can be attributed not to the Pope's views on economics or ecology, but to the lost credibility and disillusionment among parishioners over the Vatican’s continued failure to respond adequately to cases of child abuse by priests. Despite millions of dollars in compensation, victims and their advocates complain that colluders among bishops and cardinals have still not been properly dealt with.

One striking commentary on the Pope's popularity comes from an individual blogger in the Boston Globe. Who knows, maybe Gallup rang her phone, perhaps she is a lone voice, perhaps not; but here, raw and unedited, is what private citizen "Jackie" has to say:

"Pope Francis is anti-American, anti-capitalism, anti-hard workers and I believe he is jealous of the USA and the blessings and talents God gave to this country … The USA is the most generous country in the world and has given billions to third world countries … The Pope has neglected to consider the talents that God has gifted many Americans to invent, to create, to design, to implement, to succeed. His false and constant harping on re-distribution of wealth and helping the poor more and more is insulting to those of us who use those God-given talents to make a difference in the world… I am not happy about his visit … Do we really want a visit from one who dislikes us?"

Is this a typical voice or a lone wolf? As a regular reader of popular commentary on newspaper stories, I’d say there are many Jackies in America – ultra-orthodox, conservative, more dogmatic than the Pope – and totally lacking Francis' sense of humour.

Dr Arthur McCaffrey is a Catholic journalist living in Boston

Above: Some critics of Pope Francis – presented in Bolivia last month with a hammer and sickle crucifix by President Evo Morales – have accused him of being a Marxist because of his teaching on wealth and inequality. Photo: CNS