The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has a variety of resources on Catholicism and Pope Benedict XVI, including public opinion polls, research studies, event transcripts and interviews.
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Pope Benedict XVI
Report
The Pope Meets the
Press: Media Coverage of the Clergy Abuse Scandal
June 11, 2010
Newspaper coverage of the Catholic clergy sexual abuse scandal grew
more intense this spring than at any time since 2002, and European
newspapers devoted even more ink to the story than American papers did,
according to a new study by the Pew Research Center.
Poll
Broad Criticism of Pope Benedict's
Handling of Sex Abuse Scandal
April 7, 2010
Amid new revelations of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, Pope
Benedict XVI's job ratings for handling the scandal have plummeted,
according to a Pew Research Center survey.
Report
Religion in the News: 2009
March 25, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI, though he made no visits to the United States last
year, was the subject of two of the top 10 religion stories, while the
Obama administration accounted for three of the top 10 religion-focused
storylines during the year.
Report
Religion in the News: 2008
March 16, 2009
The biggest single religion story of 2008 was compressed into about a
week's worth of coverage. Attention to Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the
U.S. in April 2008 eclipsed even faith-related controversies surrounding
the 2008 presidential election campaign.
Survey
Pope Benedict's Image Improves
Following U.S. Visit
May 6, 2008
Following his first visit to the United States as spiritual leader of
the world's Catholics, Pope Benedict XVI was viewed more favorably by
Americans than he was a few weeks before his April 2008 trip.
Report
During U.S. Papal Visit, Media
Focused on the Shepherd and His Flock
May 6, 2008
Before his April 2008 visit, the news media portrayed Pope Benedict XVI
as a largely unknown religious figure about to introduce himself to
American Catholics, but by the time he left, the relationship between
the relatively new pope and the hurting U.S. church was the primary
storyline in the mainstream news media's coverage of the pontiff's
visit.
Q&APope Benedict's Papacy Still
Coming Into Focus
April 4, 2008
Pew Forum Director Luis Lugo and Associate Director Mark O'Keefe discuss
the findings of a recent Pew Forum survey on the favorability of Pope
Benedict XVI.
Survey
Pope Benedict Still Unknown to Many
Americans
April 3, 2008
While more than half (52%) of all Americans view Pope Benedict XVI
favorably, three-in-ten still say that they do not know enough about the
pope to offer an opinion.
Event
The Pope Comes to America
April 1, 2008
John Allen and George Weigel discuss the issues surrounding Pope
Benedict XVI's first trip to the United States.
Resource Page
Pope Benedict XVI on the Church's
Role in Public Life
Nov. 14, 2007
Contains links to the pope's homilies and other writings on social
issues.
Survey
U.S. Public Opinion
about Pope Benedict XVI
Sept. 25, 2007
A September survey found that the pontiff is viewed favorably by nearly
three-quarters (73%) of those familiar enough to offer an opinion.
Analysis
Pope Visits 'Pentecostalized' Brazil
May 9, 2007
In May 2007, when the pope visited the world's most Catholic country, he
also encountered a nation fast becoming one of the world's most
pentecostal countries.
Q&A
The Vatican and Islam
Oct. 4, 2006
Catholic theologian George Weigel discussed the impact of controversial
comments the pope made about Islam and the Prophet Muhammad last year
in advance of a papal trip to Turkey.
Q&A
Vatican Foreign Policy in the New
Pontificate
June 10, 2005
Dr. J. Peter Pham, a former Vatican diplomat and a frequent commentator
on Vatican history and policy, discussed possible trends in Vatican
foreign policy under Pope Benedict XVI.
Event
Pope Benedict XVI and World
Affairs
April
29, 2005
A 2005 Pew Forum panel discussed what the selection of Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger as pope might mean for the future role of the Roman Catholic
Church in world affairs.
Catholicism in America
Graphic
Catholic Opinion on Notre Dame Controversy Differs by Church Attendance
May 14, 2009
According to an April 2009 poll, about half of American Catholics have
heard at least a little about the controversy over the University of
Notre Dame's decision to invite President Barack Obama to speak at the
university's May 17 commencement and receive an honorary degree. A
similar number of Catholics say that the university was right to invite
Obama.
Survey
Obama, Catholics and the Notre Dame
Commencement
April 30, 2009
Most Catholics who have heard about the issue support Notre Dame's
decision to invite President Obama to speak at its May 17 commencement
even though he
supports abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research. But a
poll finds a deep division on this issue between the
most-observant Catholics and those who are less observant.
Survey
Faith in Flux: Changes in Religious
Affiliation in the U.S.
April 27, 2009
Americans change religious affiliation early and often. In total, about
half of American adults have changed religious affiliation at least
once during their lives, and Catholicism has suffered the greatest net
loss in the process of
religious change.
Graphic
Interactive: Reasons for Joining, Reasons
for Leaving
April 27, 2009
About half of American adults have changed religious affiliation at
least once in their lives. This interactive explores the reasons
different groups, including Catholics, cite for leaving or joining their
religion.
Event Transcript
The Political Obligations of Catholics: A Conversation With the Most Rev. Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Denver
March 17, 2009
What should we expect from Catholic leaders with respect to the policy decisions of President Obama and those of future administrations? To discuss this issue and others, the Pew Forum invited Archbishop Chaput, who was appointed by Pope John Paul II and is the first Native American archbishop to be ordained in the U.S.
Q&A
Will Obama Win the White Catholic Vote?
Oct. 30, 2008
Surveys by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press show
that white, non-Hispanic Catholic support for Democratic presidential
candidate Sen. Barack Obama has grown, taking him from a
13-percentage-point deficit in late September to an 8-point lead in
late October.
Q&A
Courting Catholics in 2008
April 3, 2008
Senior Fellow John Green discusses Catholic voting trends in past elections, challenges facing the campaigns as they reach out to Catholics and how the church's growing Hispanic population may impact future elections.
Analysis
America's Catholics Occupy a Unique Place in the World of Religion
April 1, 2008
This Pew Global Attitudes Project study finds that U.S. Catholics occupy something of a middle ground between their more religious fellow Catholics in the developing world, and the less devout of Europe.
Report
A Portrait of American Catholics
March 27, 2008
The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that American Catholics are quite diverse in their demographic profile, in their religious practices and levels of commitment, as well as in their social and political views.
Survey
The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey
Feb. 25, 2008
The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey includes online tools allowing you to view the geographic distribution of Catholics in America, examine demographic characteristics of Catholics and compare the demographic characteristics of Catholics with those of other religious traditions.
Event
'Heroic Conservatism:' A Conversation with Michael Gerson
Nov. 13, 2007
Michael Gerson spoke about "heroic conservatism," which he defined as a "conservatism of the common good, influenced by Catholic social thought."
Event
Faith and the Public Dialogue: A Conversation with John Kerry
Nov. 1, 2007
The Pew Forum invited Mass. Sen. John Kerry to discuss the propriety of public inquiry into politicians' religious beliefs and how those beliefs influence candidates' views on the issues of the day.
Survey
Changing Faiths: Latinos and the Transformation of American Religion
April 25, 2007
A joint survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Hispanic Center found that Hispanics are transforming the nation's religious landscape, especially the Catholic Church.
Analysis
Presidential Preferences of White Non-Hispanic Catholics
April 3, 2007
A Pew Forum analysis of a March 2007 Pew Research Center survey provided an early reading of a group that has been a key swing vote in recent presidential elections.
Event
Defining Ourselves as Catholic Democrats
June 8, 2006
Conn. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro discussed how religion has influenced her career and reflects on the issues of the day from a Catholic perspective.
Event
Faith, Politics & Progressives: A Conversation with John Podesta
April 26, 2005
John Podesta, president and chief executive officer of the Center for American Progress, spoke about faith and progressive politics.
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