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CNN Papal Visit Poll

Poll of British attitudes towards the Papal visit published 16 September 2010

Date Published: 15 Sep 2010

Categories: Public and communities | Social | UK

Description

-- Three out of four British adults say the pope has not done enough to punish the guilty
-- British Catholics are somewhat less critical, but two out of three say the church has not shown enough remorse
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O
ne in four British people think the pope should resign over the scandal
 
 Pope Benedict XVI has not done enough to punish priests who abuse children, and the Catholic Church has not shown enough remorse for the crimes, British people said overwhelmingly in a ComRes poll for CNN released as the pope arrived in the United Kingdom Thursday. 

British Catholics are nearly as critical of the pope and the church as the population as a whole, the poll found.  Three out of four British adults say the pope hasn't done enough to punish the guilty. Among British Catholics, two out of three agree. 

Fewer than one in 20 British people thinks he has done enough but only one in four think Benedict should resign over the child-abuse allegations sweeping across the Catholic Church in Europe and North America. Half said he should not, and the other quarter did not know.
 

Catholics were more supportive of the pope than the population as a whole, with three out of four saying he should not resign. But 14 percent of British Catholics said he should quit, and 12 percent were not sure.   

British adults split equally on whether or not it was appropriate for Britain to host the pope on a state visit, with 36 percent saying it was appropriate and 37 percent saying it was not. The other 26 percent said they did not know. 

More than two out of three British Catholics thought it was appropriate, with only 14 percent saying it was not. The other 18 percent did not know.
 

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