Can Francis Change the Church? How American Catholics Are Responding to His Leadership

What effect has Pope Francis on the lives and church engagement of Catholics in the United States? The answers are enlightening for the church's future. With great hopes of discovering the feelings and motivations of those who pulled back from active involvement in the Church surrounding Pope Francis' election to the office, Rev. Sweetser set out to personally talk with those who had left the faith or withdrew their support and participation. Between May of 2011 and September of 2012, he interviewed 55 people as a way of offering a small sampling of what people were feeling about the Catholic Church, both large scale and small. They ranged in age from 20 to over 80. This was a few years before Pope Francis was elected Pope.