Washington D.C., Mar 22, 2005 / 22:00 pm
A poll conducted by ABC News recently found that more American Catholics see their moral views influenced by Pope John Paul II than they did two years ago.
The poll shows that the Pope is broadly popular with sixty-seven percent of Americans and 87% of Catholics viewing him favorably.
ABC pointed out that these numbers are up from a 2003 poll taken on the 25th anniversary of the Pope’s pontificate, which suggested that only 39% of Catholics saw their morality influenced by the Holy Father. That number has jumped this year to 51%.
Further, the number of those who ABC sees as practicing Catholics, i.e., who attend Mass at least a few times a month, whose moral views are influenced by John Paul, jumped from 50% in 2003, to 69% now.