Poll: 90 percent of US Catholics back pope

Nearly 90 percent of Catholics in the United States approve of Pope Francis, according to a new poll.

Eighty-eight percent approve of the way Francis has handled his role as the head of the Catholic Church, CNN/ORC International found in a survey released Tuesday.

At least 85 percent of Catholics in the U.S. say Francis is neither too liberal nor conservative, the poll found.

Francis has been considered a revolutionary figure since he was elected as the church’s leader in March.

He has urged church members, for example, to focus more on helping poor people than harping on the issues of abortion and same-sex marriage. He has also emphasized women should have a larger role in the church community.

More than 60 percent of Catholics say they agree with Francis’s comments about women in the church. A similar percentage also say he’s done well handling the recovery from the church’s sex-abuse scandals.

Early this month, Time magazine named him Person of the Year, making him the third pope to win the magazine’s annual award.

Pope Francis tweeted about Christmas Tuesday as he prepared to deliver mass at the Vatican.

The Lord is coming. May we await him with open hearts!

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) December 24, 2013