First, the name “Francesco” leapfrogged to No. 1 on the list of the most popular baby names in Italy.
Then, the city of Rome reported a tourism boom, mostly from Latin America.
Now, there’s word Roman Catholic Church attendance is climbing throughout Italy.
Blame it on “the Francis effect.”
Italy’s Center for Studies on New Religions reported Sunday (Nov. 10)
that around half of the 250 priests it surveyed reported a significant
rise in church attendance since Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became
Pope Francis in March.
“If we project these findings nationally, and if half of the parishes
have been touched by the Francis effect, then we’re talking about
hundreds of thousands of people returning to the churches,” said Massimo
Introvigne, the center’s director and a professor at Rome’s Pontifical
Gregorian University.
The findings come as Opinioni, a political polling company, reported
Monday that more than four in five Italians had a “positive” or
“extremely positive” opinion of the new pope.
In the poll, Opinioni asked for opinions on 21 public figures in
Italy — the pope, sports stars, politicians, entertainers, business
figures, and others. Respondents were asked to place them in five
categories: extremely positive, positive, neutral, negative, extremely
negative.
Eighty-two percent rated the pope in one of the top two
categories, far outdistancing all other public figures.
The latest findings fit into the popular narrative of Francis, who
has earned headlines for his humble and popular style and statements.
Roman police say that average attendance at papal audiences in St.
Peter’s Square are on the rise, and souvenir sellers have been quoted in
the local press as saying business has improved since March, despite
Italy’s moribund economy.