Survey: American Catholics Favor Change

The majority of American Catholics in a nationwide survey said they favor a more democratic church with a pope who would allow married and women priests and American bishops with more decision-making power.

The poll, conducted by the Gallup organization and commissioned by the Rev. Andrew Greeley, whose new novel, “White Smoke,” is about the selection of a new pope, found that most Catholics also supported structural changes in the church, such as allowing priests and laity to elect bishops and giving lay people a greater voice in the church.