Cherished in Malta: Pope Francis rated highly before his passing

Just days before the Pope’s death, and amid growing concerns about his deteriorating health, MaltaToday asked the Maltese to rate Pope Francis’ leadership on a scale from 0 (very bad) to 10 (very good).

The results showed that Pope Francis enjoyed near-universal approval in Malta, scoring an average of 8.3 out of 10, with 90% giving him a rating of 8 or higher. A full 23.2% gave him top marks.

Moreover, the Pope enjoyed a stellar rating among respondents of all ages, ranging from 7.8 among 16- to 35-year-olds to 8.4 among those aged over 65.

He was also cherished across the political divide, with both PN and PL voters rating him above 8.

The Pope was equally respected by people with different levels of education, with his rating ranging from 8.1 among those with tertiary and post-secondary education to 8.4 among those with a secondary or primary level.

The result can be partly explained by an outpouring of sympathy for the Pope’s declining health.
But it also shows that over the past decade, he touched hearts and minds beyond the constituency of devout or hard-line Catholics. 

Paradoxically respect for the Papacy grew as the church’s political influence in society started to wane especially after the watershed divorce referendum.

In contrast back in 2010, a MaltaToday survey had shown that 19.5% and 28% of young people were feeling estranged from the church under Pope Francis’ conservative predecessor; Pope Benedict XVI. 

Moreover, despite increased hostility from conservative quarters obstructing his reforms, Pope Francis’ popularity in Malta has endured. 

Even in 2018 another MaltaToday survey had shown that 90.8% of the population viewed him positively. This included 94.8% of PN voters and 91% of PL voters. Back then only 5% had no trust in the Pope. Seven years later only 4% of the Maltese gave the pope a rating of 5 or less.

All this in a country which, during his papacy, was undergoing massive social change—becoming more liberal in its social mores while facing growing inequalities, corruption, environmental decline, and widespread indifference to migrants—issues the pope consistently denounced and which dominated his Papacy.