Habemus Papam! We have a Pope!

Some know him as a bastion of faith during confusing times, while others know him as a barrier to liberal thought. But now all will know Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict the sixteenth. Ratzinger was born the last of three children to a local constable in Marktl Am Inn, a small German town. He grew up under Nazi rule, and was enrolled in the Nazi youth movement against his will in 1941. He was soon released because of his desire to study the priesthood.

Ratzinger was ordained in 1951, and appointed a Cardinal by Paul the sixth in 1977. In 1981 he became the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In that capacity, he disciplined church dissidents and upheld church policy against attempts by liberals for reform. But in an age where many feel the church needs to modernize or face extinction, the election of a staunch conservative pope may take some by surprise. On the other hand, those seeking continuity from the Papacy of John Paul II see it as a natural progression.

Ratzinger was elected after just four ballots in one of the fastest papal elections in the past century. Pope Pius XII was elected in 1939 in three ballots on one day, while Pope John Paul II was elected in 1978 in four ballots in one day. As for the selection of Ratzinger’s papal name, his predecessor, Benedict the Fifteenth, has been called the great peace pope of our time.

Ratzinger is known as the "Enforcer" of the Catholic faith. And while he has received some criticism for his hard-line stance on many moral issues, he is also seen as an intelligent man with much influence. As Pope Benedict the Sixteenth, Ratzinger is expected to reiterate church teachings. He recently published a new book highlighting his theology and calling on Europe to return to its Christian roots. The book condemns “moderate” issues such as same-sex marriage, divorce and the possibility of human cloning.

However, according to a new OMNI-Maclean’s poll conducted by Pollara, Canadians views on what stance the new Pope should take are mixed. When it comes to issues like same sex marriage and abortion, 53% of Canadians believe the new Pope should take a more moderate approach, while 34% feel the Papacy should stay conservative on social issues. Interestingly, 58% of Catholic Canadians are more likely than Canadians of other faiths to want the Pope to be more moderate. Sixteen percent of non-Catholic Canadians say they do not know what stance the new Pope should assume.

Geography, gender, education and household income appear to make a difference when it comes to deciding which standpoint Pope Benedict XVI should take. Regionally, Quebecers at 63% are the most likely Canadians to want the new Pope to be more moderate, while 41% of Prairie residents want the Pope to stay conservative. The women we polled agree with those in Quebec, as 58% want to see Pope Benedict XVI take a moderate approach, while 47% of men polled said they would prefer to see him stay true to his conservative roots.

Canadians with at least a community college education would disagree as 58% want the Pope to become more moderate, while 41% of those with a high school education say Benedict XVI should keep a conservative approach when dealing with social issues. Also, there is a direct relationship between household income and the stance Canadians want the new Pope to take. Specifically, as household income increases, Canadians are more likely to indicate they would like the new Pope to take a more moderate stance on issues.

Summary of Results

In total, 1,257 interviews were conducted with Canadians 18 years of age and older across the country. In general, a sample of this size will provide results accurate nineteen times out of twenty.

One-half (53%) of Canadians would prefer the next Pope to take a moderate approach, while one-third (34%) feel he should stay conservative on social issues.

	%
More Moderate	53
Stay Conservative	34
Don’t Know/Refused	14

Regionally, Canadians in Québec are most likely to want the next Pope to be more moderate (63%).

Region	More Moderate	Stay Conservative	DK/REF
	%	%	%
Total	53	34	14
Atlantic	55	32	13
Quebec	63	30	7
Ontario	51	35	14
Prairies	39	41	20
British Columbia	53	29	19

The proportion of women (58%) who want the next Pope to take a moderate approach is significantly higher than men (47%), while the proportion of men to indicate the next Pope should stay conservative is higher than it is for women (39% vs. 29%, respectively).

Region	More Moderate	Stay Conservative	DK/REF
	%	%	%
Total	53	34	14
Male	47	39	15
18-34	48	38	14
35-54	49	36	15
55+	48	39	13
Female	58	29	13
18-34	65	27	8
35-54	64	26	10
55+	48	36	17

Canadians with a high school education or less (41%) are most likely to indicate the next Pope should keep a conservative approach, while those with at least a community college education (58%) are more likely to want the next Pope to become more moderate.

Region	More Moderate	Stay Conservative	DK/REF
	%	%	%
Total	53	34	14
High School or Less	46	41	13
Community College	58	26	16
University or More	59	29	12