When asked about their overall opinion of Pope Francis, roughly seven-in-ten U.S. Catholics now say they have a favorable opinion of the pontiff, down 12 points since the beginning of the year. The decline is especially evident in the share of American Catholics who say they have a very favorable opinion of the pope, which now stands at 30%. By comparison, previous Pew Research Center surveys have generally found that four-in-ten or more Catholics (and as many as 62% in October 2015) hold Francis in the highest regard.

These are among the key findings of a new national survey by Pew Research Center, conducted Sept. 18 to 24 among 1,754 adults, including 336 Catholics. Among the U.S. public as a whole (including both Catholics and non-Catholics), roughly half say they have a favorable view of Pope Francis, which is the lowest rating he has received in nine Pew Research Center surveys that have asked about Pope Francis since the beginning of his pontificate in 2013.

Until now, Francis has generally earned higher favorability ratings from the U.S. public than did Pope Benedict XVI. In the new survey, however, Francis’ favorability rating is on par with the ratings typically earned by his predecessor, and significantly below the rating Benedict garnered immediately following his visit to the U.S. in April 2008 (61%).