Survey: Fewer Poles trust Pope

Warsaw, Poland - Fewer Poles have confidence in the Pope as trust has fallen over the past decade in the Roman Catholic church, the daily Rzeczpospolita reported Thursday. Some 80 per cent of Poles trust the current Pope Benedict compared to 91 per cent who trusted John Paul II - himself a Pole - a decade ago, reported the daily based on a survey of some 1,000 adults.

Trust in bishops fell by 6 per cent while rectors received seven per cent less confidence, said the report from the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University.

Some 81 per cent of Poles said they had deep faith or believed in God, compared to 86 per cent a decade ago.

However, more Poles now regard abortion, divorce and infidelity as unacceptable, compared to a poll in 1998.