American Catholics are feeling excited about their newly-elected religious leader Pope Leo XIV just a month after he was elevated to the position, a poll released Sunday reveals.
About two-thirds of American Catholics have a “very” or “somewhat” favorable view of Pope Leo, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
While about three in 10 don’t know enough to have an opinion on the new Pontiff there are very few Catholics — less than 1 in 10 — who view the Chicago native unfavorably.
AP reports more broadly, around half of Democrats have a favorable view of the new pope, as do about four in 10 Republicans and independents.
Pope Leo XIV cited the sudden rise in AI and fast-booming technologies for his name choice as the Roman Pontiff. https://t.co/Y3YR5Jd8mV
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 11, 2025
Republicans are a little more likely than Democrats to be reserving judgment. About half of Republicans say they don’t know enough to have an opinion about the pope, compared to about four in 10 Democrats.
Republicans, notably, are no more likely than Democrats to have an unfavorable opinion of the pope. About one in 10 in each group view Pope Leo unfavorably.
AP contributed to this report
