Pope seen in good light by more than half of Americans: poll

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Just over half of Americans see Pope Benedict XVI, the leader of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics, in a favorable light, a poll released two weeks before the German-born pontiff was due to visit here showed.

"Pope Benedict XVI continues to be viewed favorably by a majority (52 percent) of Americans," the poll by the Pew Research think-tank showed.

But the pope lags far behind his charismatic predecessor, Polish-born John Paul II, in the popularity stakes, and huge numbers of Americans know nothing about the German-born pontiff who will be visiting Washington and New York later this month, the survey also indicated.

John Paul II was given a favorable rating by more than three-quarters of Americans in polls conducted by Pew in 1987,...