With a 75% trust rating, Pope Francis has been, over the past 12 years, the figure on whom Italians have placed the most trust—well beyond faith or religious observance. The data, collected by Demopolis, rises to 83% among Catholics but also reaches 60% among non-believers or those of other religions. In contrast, Italians' trust in the Church has remained lower over the past decade, now at 44%, more than 30 points below the percentage who trusted Bergoglio. Several distinguishing traits have characterized his papacy: 80% recall Francis's commitment to opposing wars. Up until his final day, his Easter message denounced the many forgotten conflicts and the "dramatic and shameful humanitarian situation in Gaza." Sixty-six percent highlight the Pope’s consistent focus on the "marginalized" and the most vulnerable—the poor and the migrants. Nearly 6 out of 10 recall being immediately charmed by the spontaneity of his words and gestures; the overwhelming majority remembers his constant calls for environmental care to safeguard the future of the Earth.
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