Polling the Pope

This from the bizarro (and not in a good way) file: a poll of "adults" (no indication of religious affiliation) in six countries on whether B16 "has been successful in promoting a dialogue with other religious faiths" has been spun into The Papal Job Approval Rating.

And my colleagues wonder why they get no respect.

Adults in Germany are content with the performance of the head of the Catholic Church, according to a six-country poll by Harris Interactive published in the Financial Times. 50 per cent of Germans believe Pope Benedict XVI has been successful in promoting a dialogue with other religious faiths.

A-ha! Rowback tucked conveniently away.

Support is significantly lower in the other five nations surveyed, with Italy at 29 per cent, Spain at 20 per cent, the United States at 17 per cent, France at 15 per cent, and Britain with 12 per cent.

Support for what, again: "Do you feel that Pope Benedict XVI has been successful in promoting a dialogue with other religious faiths?"

But when the headline reads "Only Germans Satisfied with Benedict XVI," you kinda know where it's going from the outset.

-30-