Yes, Pope Francis is a rock star, a true celebrity, and will draw huge crowds. Political parties will emphasize the aspects of his message that resonate with their biases. I expect their infatuation to be brief, unreciprocated and ineffective.
Similarly, the relevance to daily lives of the Church he leads is definitely on the decline. National Review reports church attendance at mass is down dramatically. Churches are being shuttered as low-attendance parishes are consolidated.
This is what earlier happened in Europe, where most churches though still functioning at a low level are more museums of faith and art than temples of worship. Western Europe is widely reported to be post-Christian, essentially secular except among recent Muslim immigrants.
