report | Mar 6, 2014

How U.S. Catholics View Pope Francis: In Their Own Words

Each Wednesday and Saturday evening, Naomi Magel and her husband attend Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Elgin, Texas. After the service, the couple takes their pastor, the Rev. George Joseph, out for something to eat. Over the past year, one subject has come up in conversation again and again. “We talk about Pope […]

report | Mar 6, 2014

U.S. Catholics View Pope Francis as a Change for the Better

One year into his pontificate, Pope Francis remains immensely popular among American Catholics and is widely seen as a force for positive change within the Roman Catholic Church. More than 80% of U.S. Catholics say they have a favorable view of the pontiff.

report | Mar 6, 2014

Media Coverage of Pope Francis’ First Year

One year into Francis’ papacy, an analysis by the Pew Research Center finds that the former Jesuit archbishop – who was named Time’s Person of the Year – ranked among the top global newsmakers in major U.S.-based digital news outlets.

report | Feb 10, 2014

Russians Return to Religion, But Not to Church

Between 1991 and 2008, the share of Russian adults identifying as Orthodox Christian rose from 31% to 72%, according to data from the International Social Survey Programme. During the same period, the share of Russia’s population that does not identify with any religion dropped from 61% to 18%.

short reads | Feb 7, 2014

Sochi Olympics shine spotlight on Russia’s Muslim population

Security has been among the main storylines leading up to the Winter Olympics, set to begin in Sochi, Russia. Sochi is not far from the city of Volgograd, the target of several recent suicide bombings, and according to The Associated Press, up to 100,000 security personnel have been deployed to guard against potential terrorist acts. […]

short reads | Dec 23, 2013

The world’s Christian population – take our quiz

How much do you know about the world’s Christian population? Which country has the largest Catholic population, and which has the largest number of Protestants? W have a short, ten-question quiz on the global Christian population to test your knowledge.

short reads | Dec 11, 2013

Pope Francis’ big year

Pope Francis began this year as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, an Argentine archbishop. He finishes it as Time magazine’s Person of the Year.

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