Pope Francis, seen here on Sept. 26, 2024, died Monday at age 88. (Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP/Getty)
"Pope Francis enjoyed broad support among American Catholics – certainly exceeding the popularity of any elected officials in the U.S.," veteran political scientist Wayne Lesperance, the president of New England College, told Fox News.
U.S. Catholics also generally viewed Francis more positively than his immediate predecessor in the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI.
Flags are at half-staff next to the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart after the death of Pope Francis was announced by the Vatican, in Newark, New Jersey, April 21, 2025. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
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"His reform agenda, emphasizing values that sought to lift up the poorest, most marginalized individuals in the world, played better with Catholic Democrats than Republicans," Lesperance noted.
"And despite being critical of the current administration's position on building the wall, mass deportations, and migrants, the late pope enjoyed the support of nearly two-thirds of Catholic Republicans. His legacy will be one of reform and social justice for Catholics across the globe."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/what-americans-catholics-thought-about-pope-francis