The Holy See is about to get an early Christmas present this year.
A new CNN poll released Tuesday found that 88% of American Catholics view Pope Francis favorably. Additionally, nearly 75 percent of Americans in general think he's doing a good job.
It's been quite a year for the new pope. Named Time's Person Of The Year, he's been cited for his relatively progressive views on homosexuality, his criticisms of capitalism and his advocacy for the poor.
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The iconic LGBT magazine The Advocate named Pope Francis their person of the year after comments he made this summer about gay priests. "If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?" he told a reporter in July. While his comments are hardly an endorsement of same-sex marriage, they mark a major shift from the church's legacy on homosexuality.
According to the CNN poll, the pope has received high marks among American Catholics for his views. His handling of the priest sex abuse scandal also scored well, with over 60 percent of respondents saying he's managed the fallout well. His predecessor, meanwhile, was criticized for allegedly sweeping many of the most shocking allegations under the rug at first.
Pope Francis took over as leader of the church, which lists 1.2 billion in membership, in March after Pope Benedict XVI resigned.
According to a Global Language Monitor study, the pope was the most talked-about person on the Internet in 2013.
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CORRECTION: A previous version of this post said that Pope Francis was the first pope to join Twitter. Pope Benedict XVI was also on Twitter. It also understated Catholic church membership.
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Before You Go
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This undated handout reproduction photo made available by Maria Elena Bergoglio, shows Jorge Mario Bergoglio as a teenager, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Bergoglio was elected pope March 13, 2013, making him the first pope ever from the Americas. Bergoglio, who was born in 1936, chose the name Pope Francis. (AP Photo/Bergoglio family photo)
AP
This undated handout reproduction photo made available by Maria Elena Bergoglio, shows Jorge Mario Bergoglio, left, and his brother Oscar, posing for a photo in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Bergoglio was elected pope March 13, 2013, making him the first pope ever from the Americas. Bergoglio, who was born in 1936, chose the name Pope Francis. (AP Photo/Bergoglio family photo)
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As a student: 2nd row from bottom, 4th from left.Jorge Mario Bergoglio attended a Salesian school between 1948 and 1949.
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AP
This undated handout reproduction of a photo made available by Maria Elena Bergoglio, shows the Bergoglio family as they pose for a portrait, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Top row, from left; Maria Elena, Regina Sivori, Alberto, Jorge Mario, Oscar, Marta and her husband Enrique Navaja. Bottom row, from right; Mario, Maria de Bergoglio and Juan. Mario and Regina were the parents of Jorge Mario, Maria Elena, Oscar, Marta and Alberto. Juan and Maria were Mario Bergoglio's parents, Jorge Mario's paternal grandparents. Bergoglio was elected pope March 13, 2013, making him the first pope ever from the Americas. Bergoglio, who was born in 1936, chose the name Pope Francis. (AP Photo/Bergoglio family photo)
AP / Escuela El Savlador
An image from 1966 of the Argentine seminarian Jorge Mario Bergoglio in the El Salvador School, where he taught literature and psychology in Buenos Aires.
(Foto AP/Courtesía d ela familia Espínola)
In this photograph from April of 2000 provided by the Espinola family, the then archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, poses with Angela Espinola, age 12, on the left, and her sister Eliza age 9, during the procession of Pascua organized by the Church of the Virgin of Caacupe, in the poor neighborhood Villa 21-24, in Buenos Aires.
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AP
FILE - In this undated picture released by Sergio Rubin, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, right, kisses the hand of Pope John Paul II during a ceremony at the Vatican. Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis on Wednesday, March 13, 2013, cleared Pope John Paul II for sainthood, approving a miracle attributed to his intercession and setting up a remarkable dual canonization along with another beloved pope, John XXIII. (AP Photo/Sergio Rubin)
(AP Foto/Pablo Leguizamon, File)
In this archive photo from 2008, the Argentine cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, second from left, travels on the Buenos Aires metro. Bergoglio, who in March 2013 was named Pope, was known for using public transport in Argentina. The mayor of the Argentine capital, Mauricio Macri, proposed putting Pope Francis' name on a metro station, but the law requires a wait of ten years after the death of a person before their name can be put on a public space.
(AP Foto/Club Atletico San Lorenzo de Almagro)
Image provided by the Argentine football club San Lorenzo de Almagro, that shows a copy of the membership card of the cardinal Jorge Bergoglio.
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In this photo taken on March 20, 2008, Argentine cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, in the center, shakes the hand of a woman in Buenos Aires.
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This Aug. 7, 2009 file photo shows Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, right, giving a mass outside San Cayetano church in Buenos Aires. Bergoglio, who took the name of Pope Francis, was elected on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, files)
AP
This Aug. 7, 2009 file photo shows Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio giving a mass outside the San Cayetano church in Buenos Aires. Bergoglio, who took the name of Pope Francis, was elected on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, files)
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Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio drinks mate, the traditional Argentine beverage, in Buenos Aires on March 3, 2013, ten days before his election as Pope.
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With Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentina's 52nd President.
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With Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentina's 52nd President.
AP
In this Jan. 13, 2007 file picture, Pope Benedict XVI shakes hands with archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio during their meeting at the Vatican. On Wednesday, March 13, 2013, Bergoglio was elected pope, the first ever from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium. He chose the name Pope Francis. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano)
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VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - DECEMBER 04: Pope Francis arrives in St. Peter's square for his weekly audience on December 4, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. At the end of his General Audience Pontiff called on everyone to pray for a group of nuns taken by force from the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Tecla in the ancient Christian town of MaÕlula in Syria. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images)
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Pope Francis arrives to lead a prayer at the statue of Virgin Mary during the annual feast of the Immaculate Conception at Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) in Rome on December 8, 2013. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)
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Pope Francis greets the crowd as he arrives for his general audience at St Peter's square on December 11, 2013 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / VINCENZO PINTO (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images)
AP
A child takes off Pope Francis' white zucchetto, or skullcap, during a meeting with children and volunteers of the Santa Marta Vatican Institute, at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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