Pope Francis loses fans: #tellusatoday

We asked what followers thought about a Gallup Poll showing Pope Francis’ U.S. popularity has gone down. Comments from Twitter are edited for clarity and grammar:

When he took a stance on humanity’s treatment of the Earth, a good number of conservatives abandoned him.

— @RMCSret

Pope Francis’ fair-weather fans are gone! Blessings to the true Catholics who respect and serve the “vicar of Christ” with fortitude.

— @sportsreppin

Many don’t like the political side he’s shown. Climate change and hate of capitalism are killers.

— @winojanet

Pope Francis is not concerned with what others think on many issues the pontiff believes in. His courage should be commended.

— @JeffOstach

Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

The answer to Pope Francis’ dip in popularity is simple. We liked him when he was trying to lead his religion by example. We stopped liking him when he became an armchair politician, climate scientist and economist.

— Sean Killion

Finally, we have a pope who stresses the need to care about the poor and the marginalized as Jesus told us all to do. As a Catholic, I find it sad that there are many Catholics who do not seem to care about them.

— Rosemary McHugh

The only thing you don’t hear him talk enough about is what steps he’s taking to deal with the priests who abuse children.

— Linda Serpa

The pope’s message is of tolerance and respect for the planet. Anyone who has an issue with that has the problem, not the pope.

— John Petz