THE COURIER-JOURNAL BLUEGRASS POLL

Also, 81 percent of the Catholics said the growing sex abuse scandal has not caused them to question their faith.

THAT LAST FINDING was encouraging to Brian Reynolds, chief administrator of the Archdiocese of Louisville.

''I think people have serious questions about the church and perhaps some of their leaders,'' Reynolds said. ''But I don't think people are questioning their faith in God or their Catholic identity.''

The Courier-Journal polled people within the archdiocese's 24-county region. About half those contacted are Catholic.

The results were weighted to reflect the numbers of Catholics in the region; as a result, Catholics account for 24 percent of the results; Southern Baptists, 30 percent; and other religions, 37 percent. Nine percent declined to give a religion or said they are not affiliated with any religion.

The poll found most people are aware of the current sexual abuse crisis facing the local archdiocese. About 74 percent of people in the archdiocese have followed the issue closely or very closely, compared with 74 percent who gave the same attention to violence in the Middle East and 79 percent who follow the war in Afghanistan.

That doesn't surprise the Rev. William F. Medley, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Bardstown.

''I think people are shocked as are most of the clergy who just had no idea of the apparent scope of this problem,'' Medley said. ''I think they just don't know what to make of the allegation (that) there was a coverup.''

Libbie McGrath, 54, of Louisville and a Catholic, said allegations need to be public and turned over to police.

A respondent in the poll who agreed to be interviewed, McGrath said, ''It should not be handled internally.''

Joseph McPherson, a retired educator and former Louisville high school principal agreed.

''I don't think they should hide it -- get it out in the open,'' McPherson said. ''In this country, you're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty.''

The potential cost of such litigation remains a concern to Catholics in the archdiocese.

Sixty-eight percent said they were somewhat concerned or very concerned about how the archdiocese would pay potential judgments or settlements of the now more than 100 pending lawsuits.

Reynolds said church officials will account to Catholics in the archdiocese for all money spent on costs related to the sexual abuse allegations. Starting this fall, the archdiocese will list all such expenses in its annual financial statement, he said.

ABOUT HALF, or 53 percent, of the people contacted said the Louisville news media have spent ''the right amount'' of time on the sex abuse allegations involving priests. Twenty percent said the media have spent too much time on the subject and 16 percent said too little.

More Catholics -- 33 percent -- thought the media spent too much time on the subject as opposed to 16 percent of non-Catholics.

They included Julie Hunt, 31, of Marion County, a Catholic and member of St. Augustine Church in Lebanon, who said she thinks the media have overplayed the subject.

''I feel like every accusation needs to be fully looked into but I think the media is blowing this a little bit out of proportion,'' Hunt said. ''It's very damaging -- once the names come out it's hard to take them back.''

The Rev. Joseph Graffis, pastor of St. Augustine Church in Louisville, said he and other priests are fearful of false accusations because they are so damaging.

''We are very vulnerable now to be guilty until proven innocent,'' he said.

But he said he believes most priests think the church will be better once the current allegations are dealt with and the church gets a better handle on the problem.

''I think a lot of guys are hanging in there,'' he said. ''They think we're going to be better off.''

The poll found most people in the archdiocese believe the Catholic church is not doing enough to investigate sexual abuse allegations against priests and get the truth out. The poll found that 70 percent of the people believe the church isn't doing enough to investigate such claims, while 16 percent said it is.

Non-Catholics are more skeptical than Catholics; 74 percent of nonCatholics said the church isn't doing enough compared to 58 percent of Catholics.

But they gave the local church officials a slightly better rating.

About 47 percent of all those contacted said the Louisville archdiocese is not doing enough to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by its priests and 21 percent said it is doing enough. But 40 percent of Catholics believed the archdiocese is not doing enough compared to 50 percent of non-Catholics.

''We're not surprised,'' said Reynolds, the archdiocese's administrative officer. ''These are themes we've been hearing around the country as well.''

Reynolds said people may be skeptical about the church's handling of such cases locally because officials have decided not to comment on lawsuits pending against the archdiocese.

''These are pretty complicated and complex issues when you deal with the topics of abuse, the priesthood, sexuality, personnel matters,'' Reynolds said. ''We're limited in our ability to discuss some of these specifics because this is a matter in litigation.''

AMONG CATHOLICS, 63 percent said allegations of abuse have led them to question church leaders.

But the majority of those polled said they believe the problem of sexual abuse by priests is not widespread -- 62 percent said they believe it is limited to a few or hardly any priests. Among Catholics, 78 percent held that view.

And 69 percent of all those polled said they believe sexual abuse of children is no more a problem among priests than it is members of other professions; 84 percent of Catholics reported that same view.

No clear-cut views emerged about Pope John Paul II, head of the Catholic Church in Rome among all people polled.

About 33 percent have a favorable opinion of the pontiff; 15 percent have an unfavorable opinion; and 49 percent said they don't know enough about him to have an opinion.

They reported a less favorable view of Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly, head of the Archdiocese of Louisville.

Sixteen percent hold a favorable view of Kelly; 11 percent, an unfavorable opinion; and 69 percent reported not knowing enough about him to have an opinion.

Meanwhile, about half the Catholics in the archdiocese believe the church is out of touch with their needs today and most support radical changes -- including allowing women and married people to serve as priests.

More than half -- 56 percent -- oppose the current requirement that priests be celibate, or abstain from sex.

Also, 68 percent favor married priests and 65 percent believe the church should allow women to be ordained. More women than men -- 71 percent of women compared to 58 percent of men -- believed women should be allowed to be priests.

Also, 71 percent believe that priests who have left the ministry to marry should be allowed to return.

Elizabeth Sysol, 20, of Louisville, and a Catholic, said she attended a Catholic elementary and high school and sees no reason a woman should not serve as a priest. Nor should the church bar married people from serving, she said.

''If they can be priests and be married at the same time, you might as well let them,'' she said, adding that that goes for ordaining women as well.

''I feel a woman could fill the same role in the church,'' she said.