'Pope Francis effect' credited with boosting Italian congregations
Researchers say more than half of Catholic priests have reported significant rise in attendance since election of new pontiff
John Hooper in Rome
theguardian.com, Sunday 10 November 2013 13.31 EST
Hundreds of thousands of Italian Catholics have flocked back to church since the election of the pope, according to a study published on Mondaythat credits the "Francis effect" for the boost in congregations.
Researcher Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist and head of Italy's Centre for the Study of New Religions (Cesnur), found that 51% of 250 priests he interviewed reported a significant rise in church attendance since the election of the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio in March.
"If we project those results nationally, and if only half the parishes and communities in Italy have been touched by the Francis effect, then we're talking about hundreds of thousands of people who are returning," he said.
There was evidence that the 76-year-old Argentinian pope had made an even more dramatic impact in Britain. In a smaller survey, of 22 British cathedrals, 65% of the respondents had said they had noticed a rise in numbers, Introvigne added.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/10/pope-francis-effect-italy-catholicism
