Madrid, Spain — A majority of people in staunchly Roman Catholic Spain believe the Church will only get further out of touch on social issues under the new Pope Benedict XVI.
An opinion poll (which questioned 1,000 people) found only 13 percent of Spaniards believe the Church hierarchy is in touch with social realities in Spain.
The poll was conducted by the Institut Opina for the private radio station Cadena Ser, which is close to the Socialist government.
The Church is expected to get even further out of touch on social issues according to 36 percent of those polled.
About one in five feel that there will be no change while a similar number believe the Church will improve on social issues under Pope Benedict. The rest of those polled were undecided.
The Catholic Church and the socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero have clashed recently over laws to allow gay marriages, the adoption of children by gay couples and a law facilitating divorce.
Spain's Conference of Catholic Bishops was also forced to make a humiliating about-face, under Vatican pressure, after initially announcing on 19 January that condoms could be used as part of the global effort to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids.
Some 82.4 percent of Spaniards say they are Catholic, with 48 percent of those describing themselves as practising.
Among conservative voters of the opposition Popular Party, 92 percent are Catholic, compared with 77 percent of the governing Socialist party.