59 percent of American Catholics polled have favorable view of pope . The poll was conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute and commissioned by CNN Belief Blog readers. Washington ( CNN ) -- Most Americans -- and most American Catholics -- think Pope Benedict XVI has done a bad job of dealing with the problem of sexual abuse by Catholics priests , according to a new national poll . Allegations against church have piled up across Europe recently .
59 percent of American Catholics polled have favorable view of pope . The poll was conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute and commissioned by CNN Belief Blog readers. Allegations against church have piled up across Europe recently .