Three-quarters of U.S. Catholics view Pope Francis favorably, though partisan differences persist
Americans’ opinions of Pope Francis have rebounded slightly after hitting an all-time low almost two years ago in the wake of abuse scandals.
Many Catholics in Latin America – including a majority in Brazil – support allowing priests to marry
In Brazil – home to the world’s largest Catholic population – a majority of Catholics are in favor of allowing priests to marry.
The Digital Pulpit: A Nationwide Analysis of Online Sermons
This Pew Research Center analysis harnesses computational techniques to identify, collect and analyze the sermons that U.S. churches livestream or share on their websites each week.
U.S. Catholics less likely than Protestants to express confidence in advice from clergy
Catholics have less confidence in their clergy's advice than Protestants – and are less likely to claim a close relationship with clergy.
In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace
The religious landscape of the United States continues to change at a rapid clip, with both Protestantism and Catholicism experiencing losses of population share.
Just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with their church that Eucharist is body, blood of Christ
Just 31% of U.S. Catholics believe that the bread and wine used in Communion become the body and blood of Christ. Nearly seven-in-ten say the Eucharist is symbolic.
Key takeaways about how Americans view the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church
A majority of U.S. adults say recent reports of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church reflect problems that are still happening.
Americans See Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse as an Ongoing Problem
More than 15 years after U.S. bishops pledged “zero tolerance” for sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests, reports of previously unpublicized misconduct continue to receive wide media coverage.
Once a majority, Protestants now account for fewer than a third of Germans
Germany has seen a dramatic shift away from Protestantism – one that has greatly outpaced a decline in the share of Germans who are Catholic.
Like Americans overall, U.S. Catholics are sharply divided by party
On a number of issues, Catholic partisans often express opinions more in line with their political parties' positions than with their church's teachings.
