In April, after more than twelve years of papacy, Pope Francis passed away. In the May survey, we asked Poles how they perceived the recently deceased pope from Argentina, what they appreciated about him, or what they held against him, as well as how they evaluated the condition of the Catholic Church after his papacy.

Although after the death of Pope Francis, most Poles still regard him as an important moral authority (59%), this percentage is significantly lower than at the beginning of his papacy (in February 2015 it was 84%). A marked decline occurred after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and Francis's first statements on the conflict, which were perceived by many Poles as an attempt to justify the Russian aggression.

Do you agree that Pope Francis is/was an important moral authority for you?

When asked if there was something they particularly appreciated about Francis, respondents most often pointed to his simplicity and solidarity with the poor (46%), his fight against sexual abuse in the Church (27%), his ability to reach young people (20%), and his efforts for peace in the world (19%).

Is there anything you appreciate about Pope Francis? If so, what is it? Please indicate no more than three answers:

Although critical assessments of Francis's position on the war in Ukraine predominated (40%), nearly one in three respondents rated it positively (31%), and a slightly smaller percentage had no clear opinion on the matter (28%).

What is your opinion about Pope Francis's position on the war in Ukraine?

Finally, we repeated questions we have asked several times over the years, asking respondents to assess the current situation of the Church in Poland, Europe, and the world. In all three cases, the results were worse than ever before. In Poles' view, the condition of the Church in Poland is better than elsewhere, although the percentage of positive evaluations was practically equal to the percentage of negative ones (46% to 45%). The situation of the Church in the world appeared worse – here negative ratings (52%) clearly outweighed positive ones (34%). However, the situation of the Church in Europe was rated the worst – the percentage of negative evaluations (57%) was more than twice as high as the percentage of positive assessments (27%). It is worth noting that just a decade ago, i.e. at the beginning of Pope Francis's papacy, positive opinions about the state of the Church in Poland, Europe, and the world were significantly higher, in some cases even twice as high.

How do you generally assess the current situation of the Catholic Church: