There is this table below in today’s USA Today about the attitude of catholics in various countries to different issues:
Percentages saying the following are ‘never justifiable’
Catholic population
| Abortion | Divorce | Homosexuality | Euthanaisa | |
| Worldwide | 46% | 26% | 51% | 43% |
| USA | 37% | 7% | 20% | 31% |
| Spain | 27% | 11% | 13% | 21% |
| Argentina | 66% | 24% | 39% | 48% |
| Venezuela | 71% | 29% | 63% | 55% |
| Philippines | 51% | 40% | 26% | 45% |
| Germany | 37% | 16% | 18% | 28% |
| Mexico | 67% | 38% | 49% | 56% |
Source: World Values
The interesting thing is that Venezuelan Catholics (the country is
90% Catholic) come accross in this poll as the most conservative of all
of the countries polled. While I am not that surprised at the high
rejection of homosexuality, since machismo and personal experience
ratify this number quite well, I am surprised at the high rejection for
divorce, in a country where divorce has been legal for over sixty
years. The other surprise to me is the rejection of abortion compared
to other countries. What I do find interesting is how similar we are to
Mexico, despite the many cultural differences between the two
countries.
Does this table imply that a Latin American “conservative” Pope
would have a strong effect on Venezuelans? I think it would depend more
on his personality than his beliefs. But in the end, none of these
issues is a “hot” issue in Venezuela anyway. No group is proposing
major changes in abortion, divorce, homosexuality or euthanasia.
People’s problem here are much more basic than that: Food, health care,
inflation and employment simply obliterate any thoughts on these other
social issues.
The Devil's Excrement 
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