CBCP: Pope’s high ratings due to his humility, sincerity

Showing deep concern for the ordinary people and the reforms he instituted in the Catholic Church are most likely the reasons why 87 percent of the Filipino trust Pope Francis, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines ( CBCP) said the other day.

CBCP-Public Affairs Committee ( PAC) executive secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano believed that almost nine out of 10 Filipinos trust Pope Francis, who was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, not because he heads the estimated 1.2 billion Catholics in the world but because he brought the church closer to the people.

“Filipinos trust the Pope not because they are Catholics but because the Pope earned it,” said Fr. Secillano.

“He (Pope Fracis) communicates a message that shows his deep concern for ordinary people and he backs it up with reforms that make the church more inclusive rather than ‘exclusive’… These are, I think, the most critical factors that earned him such a high trust ratings among the Filipinos,” he added.

Since he was elected as the new pontiff, he had introduced reforms such as opting to stay in the Vatican guest house and not at the official papal residence. He chose the name “Francis” in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. This was the first time that a pope has used the name Francis, which was perceived to show concern for the poor.

Pope Francis’ trust rating in the Social Weather Station (SWS) survey was even higher than that of another beloved pope and now Saint John Paul II based on a survey that was conducted in 1995, after then Pope John Paul II’s papal visit.

Secillano believed that Pope Francis might have won over the trust of the majority of the Filipinos because during his visit in January, the people felt his humility and genuine sincerity.

“Pope Francis is not your typical leader who would embrace the trappings of power. In fact, he shuns them. His humility is felt and his sincerity is genuine.”

The SWS survey on Pope Francis was conducted last March 20- 23, or about two months after his five- day pastoral and state visit to the country.

One of the places he went to was Tacloban City and Samar, two areas that were badly devastated by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” in 2013.