Online poll | Majority hail Pope Francis as 'great leader'

Over 83% of participants in the latest MaltaToday online poll judged Pope Francis as a ‘great Catholic leader” who has reached out to both believers and non-believers.

Asked to give their verdict on the Argentine’s first year at the helm of the church, 1,684 respondents gave a glowing verdict on the first Latin American - and the first Jesuit - to lead the Roman Catholic Church.

On 13 March, the 76-year-old Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires succeeded the then 85-year-old Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned due to a "lack of strength of mind and body.”
In his first 12 months, Pope Francis has placed economic inequality at the top of his agenda and has won many fans with his unorthodox ways.

Pope Francis appeals to both Church conservatives and reformers, being seen as orthodox on sexual matters, for instance, but liberal on social justice - though far from being a "liberation theologist".

In fact, 11.7% of respondents in the online poll did not believe the hype and said that the pope is unwilling to change the Church's stance on gays and contraception.

A further 4.5% of the 2,009 respondents said that the pope was “too media friendly” and thought that his predecessor,  

Benedict XVI, was better on focusing on evangelisation.
As a Jesuit, he is a member of perhaps the most powerful and experienced religious order of the Catholic Church, who are regarded by many as expert communicators.