Should the Catholic Church ordain women? Decentralize the power of the Vatican? What country do you hope the new pope is from? Beliefnet recently asked what you envisioned for the future of the church and papacy. The results from our survey are below.
| John Paul II's most important legacy is: | ||
 |
Catholics | Non-Catholics |
| Reaching out through travel | 10.1% | 9.5% |
| Improving interfaith relations | 18.8% | 23.9% |
| Opposing abortion & stem cell research | 3.7% | 5.7% |
| Inspiring young people | 16.4% | 8.2% |
| Opposing the death penalty | 0.2% | 1% |
| Rejecting euthanasia | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Speaking out for the poor | 3.5% | 5.3% |
| Promoting peace | 23% | 22.8% |
| Exemplifying dignity in suffering | 2.6% | 2.4% |
| Spurring communism's downfall | 9.2% | 9.7% |
| Other | 12% | 11% |
| What did you like least about John Paul II's papacy? | ||
|
Catholics | Non-Catholics |
| Authoritarian leadership style | 7.7% | 8.1% |
| The handling of the sexual abuse scandal | 30.2% | 30.5% |
| Continued opposition to abortion | 1.5% | 2.7% |
| Condemnation of homosexuality | 5.1% | 7.1% |
| Controversial candidates for sainthood | 1.7% | 2.5% |
| Opposition to the Iraq war | 6.2% | 6.9% |
| Banning dialogue about the ordination of women | 13.5% | 11.6% |
| The continued ban on contraceptives | 16.4% | 18.1% |
| Other | 17.6% | 12.6% |
| I think the Catholic Church: | ||
|
Catholics | Non-Catholics |
| Should be more progressive | 50.7% | 64.5% |
| Should be more traditional | 21.2% | 16.4% |
| Is fine as it is | 28% | 19.2% |
| Do you believe the Catholic Church should: (Catholic responses) | |||
|
Yes | No | Not sure |
| Ordain women | 41% | 44% | 15% |
| Allow for abortion in some cases | 40% | 45% | 15% |
| Reach out more to other faiths | 84% | 8% | 8% |
| Allow euthansia | 16% | 64% | 20% |
| Allow birth control | 63% | 26% | 10% |
| Allow priests to marry | 56% | 32% | 12% |
| Do more for social justice/human rights | 81% | 9% | 10% |
| Return to more traditional Catholicism | 32% | 52% | 16% |
| Increase its efforts to fight poverty | 87% | 7% | 6% |
| Allow more lay participation | 67% | 18% | 16% |
| Accept homosexuality | 30% | 54% | 17% |
| Offer Communion to remarried Catholics (without requiring an annulment) | 63% | 25% | 12% |
| Decentralize the power of the Vatican | 20% | 63% | 18% |
| Reconsider its opposition to the Iraq war | 19% | 64% | 17% |
| I hope the church stays pretty much as it is | 38% | 45% | 17% |
| Do you believe the Catholic Church should: (Non-Catholic responses) | |||
|
Yes | No | Not sure |
| Ordain women | 58% | 27% | 15% |
| Allow for abortion in some cases | 58% | 29% | 13% |
| Reach out more to other faiths | 86% | 6% | 7% |
| Allow euthansia | 27% | 45% | 27% |
| Allow birth control | 81% | 11% | 8% |
| Allow priests to marry | 80% | 10% | 10% |
| Do more for social justice/human rights | 83% | 7% | 10% |
| Return to more traditional Catholicism | 17% | 61% | 22% |
| Increase its efforts to fight poverty | 89% | 4% | 7% |
| Allow more lay participation | 72% | 8% | 20% |
| Accept homosexuality | 36% | 51% | 12% |
| Offer Communion to remarried Catholics (without requiring an annulment) | 73% | 10% | 17% |
| Decentralize the power of the Vatican | 36% | 35% | 29% |
| Reconsider its opposition to the Iraq war | 29% | 52% | 19% |
| I hope the church stays pretty much as it is | 17% | 61% | 22% |
| I hope the next pope is from: | ||
|
Catholics | Non-Catholics |
| United States | 21.6% | 27.8% |
| Canada | 2.6% | 3.6% |
| Mexico | 3.7% | 1.9% |
| Central/South America | 20.5% | 15.2% |
| The Caribbean | 1.6% | 1.4% |
| Europe | 27.2% | 22.1% |
| Australia | 1.3% | 2.4% |
| Asia | 3.5% | 3.2% |
| Africa | 17.9% | 22.4% |
| What I like most about my faith is: | ||
|
Catholics | Non-Catholics |
| Being connected to a spiritual community | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| It makes me a better person | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| The rituals, music, and liturgy | 5.5% | 2.7% |
| Receiving Communion | 10.7% | 1.4% |
| Spiritual practice makes me feel grounded | 9.9% | 9.9% |
| Having a moral structure to guide my life | 19.9% | 16.6% |
| It gives me a meaningful sense of my role in the world | 11.5% | 13.8% |
| It is my source for truth and wisdom | 12.6% | 21.6% |
| Religious figures in my tradition inspire me | 2.5% | 1.1% |
| I'm not so sure I like it! | 4.7% | 2.8% |
| Other | 5.9% | 12.5% |
| How often do you attend religious services? | ||
|
Catholics | Non-Catholics |
| More than once a week | 20.7% | 22.9% |
| Once a week | 40.3% | 27.2% |
| A few times a month | 13.5% | 13% |
| A few times a year | 20.3% | 24.3% |
| Never | 5.2% | 12.6% |
| What would inspire you to attend Mass more often (Catholics only): | ||
|
Catholics | |
| Having more of a voice in church activities & decisions | 6.5% | |
| More innovative liturgies | 11.8% | |
| More dynamic pastoral leadership | 20.3% | |
| A return to traditional mass practices | 12.4% | |
| More acceptance and tolerance | 15.1% | |
| Practical amenities like day care | 2.1% | |
| I already go to church enough! | 11.5% | |
| Nothing--I am Catholic, but not practicing | 5% | |
| N/A--I'm not Catholic | 1.3% | |
| Other | 14% | |
