Pope Francis is boosting the reputation of the Catholic Church among Protestant pastors in America.
Nearly 4 in 10 say the pope, known for his humility and concern for the poor, has had a positive impact on their opinions of the Catholic Church, LifeWay Research finds. Almost two-thirds view Pope Francis as a genuine Christian and “brother in Christ.”
However, half of Protestant pastors say they do not value Pope Francis’ opinion on matters of theology. LifeWay Research asked 1,000 Protestant pastors in America about their views in a phone survey Sept. 8–21 shortly before the pontiff’s visit to the United States.
Pope Francis, who in March 2013 became the first non-European and first Jesuit priest to be named pope, has been outspoken on such issues as welcoming immigrants, shunning materialism and protecting the environment.
For 43 percent of Protestant pastors, Pope Francis has not changed their views of the Catholic Church. However, half say the current pope has affected their opinions — and almost three times as many cite a positive impact (37 percent) as those who cite a negative one (14 percent).
Ninety percent of Protestant pastors agree Catholics can be “born-again Christians,” but they are less certain whether Pope Francis is their “brother in Christ.” Sixty-three percent believe he is a genuine Christian, while 22 percent disagree and 16 percent are unsure.
“The fact that some pastors don’t see the pope as their ‘brother in Christ’ seems strange to many outside Protestantism and evangelicalism, I imagine,” said Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research. “However, the forerunners of most Protestant pastors — from Luther to Wesley to Spurgeon to many others — certainly did not see the pope as their ‘brother in Christ.’
“Within a few centuries, the pope has gone from anti-Christ to ‘brother in Christ’ for a lot of Protestants.”
Protestant pastors are divided on whether they value Pope Francis’ opinion on theological issues. More than 4 in 10 (42 percent) say they value the pope’s opinion, but 50 percent say they do not. Mainline pastors (57 percent) are more likely than evangelical pastors (36 percent) to say they value Pope Francis’ opinion.
Mainline pastors also are more likely to say Pope Francis has influenced their opinion of the Catholic Church, with 50 percent saying the impact has been positive and 9 percent saying it has been negative. In contrast 30 percent of evangelical pastors say Pope Francis has boosted their opinion of Catholicism, while 15 percent say their opinion has declined.
Regional differences
Favorable views of Pope Francis are most pronounced among highly educated Protestant pastors and those in the Northeast, the survey finds.
Fifty-one percent of Protestant pastors in the Northeast say Pope Francis improves their opinion of the Catholic Church compared to 38 percent in the Midwest, 34 percent in the South and 31 percent in the West.
More than two-thirds of Protestant pastors with a master’s or doctoral degree (69 percent) view Pope Francis as a genuine Christian and brother in Christ compared to 42 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or no college degree.
(LifeWay)
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