Most Catholic Americans think the Pope and the Vatican are doing a poor job handling recent reports of child sexual abuse by priests, and about a quarter of Catholics say those reports have made them question whether they should remain in the Church. Favorable views of Pope Francis have dropped sharply among Catholics in the last two years.
Seven in 10 Catholic Americans think that child sex abuse by priests is a very serious problem, and just 29 percent of think the Pope and the Vatican are doing a good job handling the matter, a marked decline from just before his first visit to the U.S. three years ago. Back in 2015, nearly half of Catholics said he and the Vatican were doing a good job handling this issue.
As a result of the reports of past sexual abuse of children by priests, more Catholics are now questioning their participation in the Catholic Church. Now a quarter of Catholics say the abuse reports have made them personally question whether they would remain in the Church. Just 9 percent said this in 2010 amid reports that had surfaced back then.
Read more at CBS News