Foreign News
How popular is Pope Leo XIV in the six countries with the largest Catholic populations in Latin America in 2026? Research findings are published – ZENIT
(ZENIT News / Rome, 08.09.2026).- Pope Leo XIV has entered the Latin American Catholic world with a broadly favorable reception, but the first major regional survey of his pontificate reveals a more nuanced picture than a simple popularity score.
Across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, most Catholics express a positive view of the American-born pope. Yet his support remains below the extraordinary levels recorded for Pope Francis when he first arrived on the scene in 2013. The difference is not necessarily a sign of rejection. In several countries, the more immediate explanation is that many Catholics still do not know Leo XIV well enough to have formed an opinion.
The findings come from a Pew Research Center survey of 6,132 adults, including 3,530 Catholics, conducted between February 12 and May 13, 2026. The six countries surveyed contain roughly three-quarters of Latin America’s Catholic population, making the results one of the clearest early snapshots of how the region is receiving the new pontiff.
The strongest enthusiasm is found in Peru, where 79% of Catholics say they have a favorable opinion of Leo XIV, including 39% who view him very favorably.
That result is hardly surprising once Leo’s biography is taken into account. Although he is the first pope born in the United States, Peru is central to his personal and ecclesial history. He spent roughly two decades in the country and became a bishop there in 2014. He also holds Peruvian and American citizenship.
For Peruvian Catholics, therefore, Leo is not simply a distant figure who emerged from the College of Cardinals. He is a pope with a recognizable connection to their own country.
A favorable pope who is still becoming known
Peru is not alone in responding positively to Leo XIV. Catholics in the six countries generally lean toward favorable assessments, although the strength of that support varies considerably.
Argentina and Chile stand out for a different reason. In both countries, substantial proportions of Catholics say they have not heard of Leo or do not have enough information to form an opinion. That makes the lower favorable percentages in these countries difficult to interpret as straightforward dissatisfaction.
Chile nevertheless records one of the highest negative assessments, with 20% of Catholics holding an unfavorable view of the Pope. Mexico follows at 18%.
The distinction between criticism and unfamiliarity is important. A pope who receives a large number of “no opinion” responses may not yet have a popularity problem; he may have a visibility problem.
That is particularly relevant for Leo XIV because he began his pontificate without the extraordinary level of worldwide recognition enjoyed by Francis after his election. Francis quickly became a global media figure, while Leo has had to build his public identity from the beginning.
The survey also finds relatively little evidence that demographic divisions are shaping Catholic attitudes toward Leo. Men and women tend to express similar views, as do younger and older Catholics. The early reception of the pontificate therefore appears to cut across these basic demographic categories.
The Francis comparison tells a bigger story
The most striking figures emerge when Leo is compared with his predecessor.
At roughly the same early stage of his pontificate, Francis enjoyed exceptionally high levels of approval in Latin America. In Colombia, 93% of Catholics expressed a favorable opinion of Francis in 2013-14. Today, 74% view Leo XIV favorably.
Mexico shows a comparable decline: 86% had a favorable opinion of Francis in 2013-14, compared with 66% for Leo XIV in 2026.
These numbers should not be read as a direct verdict on the two popes. The political, cultural and ecclesial environments are different, and the survey itself points to an important methodological factor: considerably more people now decline to express an opinion about Leo.
There is nevertheless a real difference. Even after taking non-response and unfamiliarity into account, unfavorable views of Leo are somewhat more evident in several countries than they were toward Francis at the beginning of his pontificate.
Francis’ extraordinary initial popularity also did not remain untouched by time. His approval ratings in Latin America declined between 2013-14 and 2024. Yet they generally remained above Leo’s current levels.
The comparison therefore suggests that Leo has begun his pontificate from a more modest base of public enthusiasm.
Peru breaks the pattern
Peru provides the clearest exception.
Catholic opinion there has remained remarkably consistent across three different measurements of papal popularity. Approximately eight in ten Peruvian Catholics expressed a favorable view of the pope in 2013-14, again in 2024 and now in 2026.
But even in Peru, the numbers contain a subtle warning against treating papal popularity as permanent. The share holding an unfavorable opinion of Francis rose from 4% in 2013-14 to 16% in 2024. For Leo, the corresponding figure in 2026 is 10%.
Leo therefore enjoys a strong advantage in the country with which he has one of his deepest personal connections, but his reception is not simply a continuation of Francis-era enthusiasm.
Why Latin America matters so much
The importance of these numbers extends well beyond a question of papal approval.
Approximately 40% of the world’s Catholics live in Latin America and the Caribbean. The region has experienced profound religious change over recent decades, including a long-term decline in the proportion identifying as Catholic and the growth of Protestant and religiously unaffiliated populations.
That means the new pope’s relationship with Latin America cannot be reduced to popularity. It concerns the future of one of the world’s largest Catholic populations.
The survey offers an additional clue. Protestants and religiously unaffiliated adults are substantially less likely than Catholics to express a favorable opinion of Leo, but many in these groups also say they have never heard of him or decline to answer. The Pope’s public profile beyond the Catholic Church is therefore still developing.
That may become increasingly important as Leo’s pontificate acquires its own identity.
For now, the verdict from Latin America’s Catholics is neither an enthusiastic repetition of the Francis phenomenon nor a sign of widespread disaffection. It is something more interesting: a broadly positive but still unfinished relationship.
Leo XIV has inherited a continent where the papacy remains deeply significant, but he has not inherited Francis’ instant familiarity. Peru, where his personal history gives him an unusual head start, points to what may prove decisive in the years ahead.
Thank you for reading our content. If you would like to receive ZENIT’s daily e-mail news, you can subscribe for free through this link.
