Pope Francis brings thousands of lapsed Catholics back to church
'Francis effect' sees thousands of lapsed Italian Catholics celebrate mass anew
Hundreds of thousands of Italian Catholics have flocked back to church since the election of Pope Francis.
More than half of 250 priests interviewed (51 per cent) reported a significant rise in church attendance since the election of the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio in March.
Researcher Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist and head of Italy’s Centre for the Study of New Religions, credited the “Francis effect” for the boost in congregations.
“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.
He said he first discovered evidence of a surge in attendance at mass in a survey he carried out soon after Francis became pope.
He then conducted a bigger poll to see if observance had since returned to its previous level.