For US Catholics, Pope Francis' tenure defined by growing divisions

NEW YORK, April 22 (Reuters) - When Pope Francis visited the United States in 2015, cheering crowds of Catholics and non-Catholics turned out in New York, Washington and Philadelphia to greet him, lifting hopes that the U.S. church was about to enter a new, vibrant era.

In the decade since that visit, an increasingly vocal and conservative segment of the U.S. church clashed with Francis over everything from immigration to climate change and same-sex couples. Over time, the conservative influence helped shape opinions of U.S. Catholics more broadly: About 75% of U.S. Catholics viewed Francis favorably in 2024, down from a high of about 90% in 2015.

Francis died at the age of 88 on Monday.

The growing cultural and political sway of conservatives within the U.S. Catholic Church was underscored by the strong support for Donald Trump in last year's presidential elections, despite hardline policies that conflicted with those of Francis.

Catholics voted for Trump 59%-39% over Democrat Kamala Harris, a 12 percentage point swing from 2020, according to exit polling by Edison Research.

Trump's victory set up instances of conflict between the White House and the Vatican. Francis called Trump's plans to deport millions of migrants a "disgrace," and criticized his cuts to foreign aid and domestic welfare programs.

In a letter to American bishops, Francis also seemed to rebut the theological concept used by Vice President JD Vance, who became a Catholic in 2019, to justify the immigration crackdown.

Vance and Francis met briefly on Sunday, hours before the pope's death in what the Vatican described as a cordial exchange of Easter greetings. Both Trump and Vance expressed condolences on Monday.

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As Francis' health deteriorated in his final weeks, some U.S. Catholics expressed admiration for the pope's legacy, portraying his papacy as one of much-needed modernization.

"I know he gets a lot of hate for being more progressive," said Carson Doss, 24, of New York. "Maybe it's because I'm young but I don't have a problem with it. My parents aren't the biggest fans."