43 Percent of French Catholics Want Pope to "Step Down"

LifeSiteNews ^ | March 24, 2009 | Hilary White

[Alex Murphy]

ROME, March 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A pair of polls released in France show that increasing numbers of French people want Pope Benedict to "step down." According to Catholic commentators, the polls come at a time of unprecedented hostility in the media to the Pope's reiteration of Catholic sexual morality.

According to a poll published in France's Le Journal du Dimanche weekly, 43 percent of French Catholics want Pope Benedict XVI to resign or retire. The poll was divided into "practising" and "non-practising" Catholics, with 47 percent of the latter, and only about a third of the former wanting Benedict to "step down."

More than 80 percent of those polled said they want the Church to "modify its position" on contraception and abortion. Le Journal du Dimanche reported that "significant majorities" want the Church to change the teaching on remarriage after divorce as well as homosexuality. Another poll published in Le Parisien daily found that 57 percent of respondents have a negative opinion of the pontiff.

The IFOP poll showed twenty-two percent saying he is doing a good job; 28 percent said it was "neither good, nor bad" and one percent declined comment. Although France is a traditionally Catholic country, less than ten percent of the population attends weekly Mass.

The polls were released at the same time that an anti-Catholic demonstration was staged in Paris. About 30 demonstrators, described by Reuters as "ecologists and Communists" and members of the radical homosexualist group Act-Up Paris, disturbed Mass-goers and threw condoms on the ground outside Notre Dame cathedral on Sunday. These demonstrators were confronted by reportedly "far right" papal supporters carrying placards saying "Leave my Pope alone."

Claiming that Catholic opposition to condoms in AIDS prevention has "killed millions," Act-Up Paris also organised a "die-in" outside Notre Dame on Sunday. Far from denouncing the anti-Catholic demonstrations, French officials attacked the pope. Human Rights Minister Rama Yade said she was "dumbfounded" at the Holy Father's opposition to condoms.

Damian Thompson, the editor of Britain's Catholic Herald, wrote this weekend that despite the attacks in the secular media, Pope Benedict's "worst enemies are Catholics."

Thompson wrote on his blog on the Daily Telegraph website, "It's payback time for Pope Benedict XVI's most dedicated enemies, who are not militant secularists, hate-crazed Muslims, diehard Protestants or the liberal media.

"The people who most dislike the Pope are Catholics, or people who have the nerve to describe themselves as such." Thompson pointed to a piece appearing in the Telegraph in March quoting anonymous "Vatican insiders" who told Nick Squires they think Benedict is a "disaster" for the Church.

These sources cited the pope's comments on condoms and the media frenzy over the lifting of the excommunications of four "traditionalist" bishops last month as well as his "previous inflammatory remarks on Islam and homosexuality."

"It's true," Thompson commented. "They do think that. He's a disaster for them, and their determination to turn the Catholic Church into a touchy-feely forum in which uncomfortable teachings and traditions are 'modernised' to impress non-Catholics."

"Benedict's most relentless critics, the ones who are determined to extract every last ounce of rhetorical advantage from his predicament, are liberal Catholics," he wrote.

Fr. Tim Finigan, a priest and theology professor and the UK's most popular Catholic blogger, wrote that the pope's reiteration of Catholic teaching on condoms shows he has "nerves of steel."

"Were he a politician," Fr. Finigan wrote, "I am sure that the Holy Father would have been advised to keep quiet about AIDS and condoms, to evade the question or simply to emphasise the positive work that the Church does."

"In the spirit of martyrdom, the successor of St Peter chose not to take the easy path but to speak the truth boldly. At a time when he has been recently subjected to sustained assaults in the world's media, his courage and determination are an inspiring example of genuine love for the suffering."

[Alex Murphy]

According to a poll published in France's Le Journal du Dimanche weekly, 43 percent of French Catholics want Pope Benedict XVI to resign or retire. The poll was divided into "practising" and "non-practising" Catholics, with 47 percent of the latter, and only about a third of the former wanting Benedict to "step down." More than 80 percent of those polled said they want the Church to "modify its position" on contraception and abortion.

[Raycpa]

And 67% want a different Jesus than the one in the bible.

[Palladin]

So what? Who cares about what the French think or want.

They took the apostate road two centuries ago.

[mitchbert]

Apparantly his Boss still wants him on the job.

[Past Your Eyes]

I’m sure old Ben is shaking in his boots.

[lula]

They want to re-write the bible to accommodate their lifestyle instead of changing their lifestyle to please God.

[gwilhelm56]

Why is it Always the FRENCH who have trouble with the Simplest of Rules.??

[SuziQ]

LOL! This from a country that hasn’t been truly Catholic in over a hundred years.

[autumnraine]

Yeah, get with the times old man!

[massgopguy]

Last I heard, France had a 1% attendance at Mass.

[Titanites]

French Practising Catholics: Poll proves an 11% increase in their loyalty to the Pope and approval of his words and actions

In early October last year Le Figaro published the results of a Poll of French nationals.
(see my post of October 0/8)

The results were based on a sample of 1,004 people.

The second question these people were asked was:
"Are you satisfied with the direction being taken in this Pontificate?"
58% of PRACTISING Catholics answered affirmatively.

The most recent Poll of 600 French Catholics taken by Ifop for 'Le Journal du dimanche' during the furore about the Pope's comments on condoms, is reported today in Dimanche Sud Ouest. That paper states that "The proportio of French Catholics who wish the Pope to depart, has risen to 47% among non-practising Catholics, but drops to 31% among practising Catholics." You will note the negative way in which the information is presented.

Simple arithmetic shows therefore that 69% of practising Catholics now approve of Pope Benedict as opposed to 58% in the earlier Poll. THE 11% INCREASE IN SUPPORT IS GOOD NEWS FOR OUR HOLY FATHER, not bad as the French Sunday paper would have us believe.

I am aware that the first poll sample was about double that of the second, and one has to wonder why. In any case I cannot persuade myself from these figures that the popularity of Pope Benedict has diminished appreciably among practising Catholics because of his remarks about condoms. Of course it wouldn't. They are practising Catholics because they are loyal to the Church's teaching, or put the other way round, as practising Catholics, they are loyal to their Pope because he holds firm to the moral and spritiual teaching of the Church. In the same way it is no surprise that the lapsed are in dissent.

So take courage, 'Be not afraid' and enjoy what remains of Laetare Sunday.
Pray for our Holy Father. May God bless him and bring him safely home.
J

[chuck_the_tv_out]

“unprecedented hostility in the media”

europeans think what their state-media complex tells them to think, then think they’re bucking a trend. it’s sick.

[brooklyn dave]

The French (as a group) haven’t been pious Catholics for a very long time anyway—could it be because Bennie is German?

[autumnraine]

1%! Then the Vatican ought to listen to them! I mean 1% of people who aren’t willing to fight Nazi’s overtaking their country might put a fear into them.

(you know that’s total sarcasm, right?)

[verga]

43 Percent of French Catholics Want Pope to "Step Down", to keep their heads jammed up their butts.

There fixed the headline

[PBRSTREETGANG]

And they’re happy that Obama is giving the commencement address at Notre Dame.

“Catholics” have become as accepting of nonsense as “Republicans” have.

Unfortunately it’s probably high time for “Cafeteria Catholics” to form their own religion.

[Nosterrex]

I’m not Roman Catholic, but I support Benedict’s positions on abortion and homosexuality. These are not true because the Pope says it, but because the Scriptures teach it. Jesus has a message for those that oppose this Pope’s views on abortion and homosexuality: “Get behind me, Satan!”

[lula]

Well Said!!!!

[massgopguy]

I think we should only tag posts when they’re NOT sarcastic.

[RichInOC]

“Sorry, mes amis. It’s your people who do the surrender thing, not mine.”