“Francis, a Happy Hour Pope.” A Major Survey on Italians’ Unsteady Faith

L'Espresso ^ | 6/22/21 | Sandro Magister

[marshmallow]

A quarter of a century has passed and three popes have come and gone since the last major survey on religious belief in Italy, in 1995. And now that a new survey has provided all the data, it is known that the Catholic faith has dimmed a great deal, despite the vast consensus surrounding the current pope and primate of Italy, Francis.

“People of little faith” is the title of the first book to gave an account of the new survey, by Franco Garelli of the University of Turin, from the presses of the publisher il Mulino.

“Uncertain faith” is the title of the second, by Roberto Cipriani of the University of Roma Tre, with a preface by Enzo Pace, published by Franco Angeli.

The first book is based on the numbers of a massive survey, the second on open-ended interviews - that is, not guided - of a representative sample of the entire population. And it is this second book that best captures the religious “sentiment” of Italians, more lively and varied than that given by dull standardized answers to a questionnaire.

The chapter on Jorge Mario Bergoglio is exemplary. Starting with the title: “Francis, a happy hour pope,” which takes up the very words of one interviewee: “I see Pope Francis as the happy hour type, the classic friend you’d have a coffee with at the bar, everybody’s pal….”

The interviews were conducted in 2017, four years after Bergoglio's election as pope, and record a rather broad consensus for him. With many signs, however, that show what sort of consensus this is, acutely analyzed by Professor Cipriani.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Have a beer with Bush and a Barbera with Bergoglio.

[Cincinnatus.45-70]

Very interesting article. Thanks for posting it.