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Support for Pope Leo from Argentina where Catholicism is in free fall following Francis


 

An interesting brief from the Wanderer on a video that caused a stir in Argentina—the one from the CCTV camera in the room where the Argentine bishops gathered to follow the papal election—although the conclusions differ depending on the Argentinean and Spanish-language media.

As the Wanderer notes, "when the name Robertus Franciscus Prevost is mentioned, some don't know who he is, and most applaud timidly, as if out of obligation. Towards the end (58"), when they learn the name: Leo XIV, the reactions of disappointment are very noticeable. Just listen for the "Uuuuhhhhs" and see the faces and gestures. For example, the one in the front row, wearing a gray shirt with an open collar, or the one at the back, chubby and with a beard."

Interestingly, some Argentine newspapers have drawn diametrically opposed conclusions, such as El Dia de la Plata, which reports the "joy" of the Argentine bishops gathered in Pilar. Or, for I Profesional, that the Argentine bishops had celebrated his election "as a goal" and insisting on the close relationship between the new Pope and some bishops: "his closeness to the Argentine Church is evident in his shared history with figures such as Bishop Alberto Bochatey, with whom he shared formation and pastoral duties within the Order of Saint Augustine. Bochatey, a renowned theologian, bioethicist and current apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of La Plata, maintains close contact with the new Pope, as do other key figures in the Argentine clergy." Furthermore, the new pontiff cultivated ties with Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, current prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and one of the most influential theologians of Francis's pontificate. Alongside Fernández, three other Argentine cardinals participated in the conclave: Vicente Bokalic, Ángel Sixto Rossi, and Mario Poli, reflecting the special importance that Latin America—and Argentina in particular—has acquired in the College of Cardinals during the last pontificate. Catholicism in Freefall in Argentina During Francis' Pontificate

And yet, during this same pontificate, Catholicism collapsed in Argentina – a 2022 survey found that the percentage of Argentine Catholics fell to 52% (compared to 90% in 1972), and that the number of people without religion, virtually absent from the statistics in 1972, was nearly 22% in 2022. Since then, the number of Catholics, according to even more recent figures, has fallen below 50%, while the number of people without religion has continued to grow. Another 2020 survey indicated that 62.5% of the population is Catholic and 18% is irreligious.

At the time, Sandro Magister provided these details: "Argentines who say they trust the Catholic Church are also in free fall: they have gone from 52% in 2017 to 31% today. The same is true for Pope Francis's popularity rating, which has gone from 62% to 52% over the same period."

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