AMERICA/PANAMA - A survey shows that the Church is the institution which is most trusted by Panamanian

Panama (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic Church is the institution that enjoys credibility among Panamanians, while the opposite is the National Assembly of Deputies, according to results of a survey published by the firm Unimer for the newspaper La Prensa. When asked "what institution inspires more trust," the Catholic Church received 64.8 percent of the vote, followed by the media with 25.5 percent and civil society, with 10.5 percent. Below 10 percent are the Electoral Court (7.5 percent), government (6.2), the Institutional Court (3.6), the Supreme Court of Justice (2.5), the Electoral Office (2.5) and finally, the National Assembly (2.0).
The survey was conducted from May 17 to 20, by consulting 1 209 people, with a margin of error around 2.8 percent. The newspaper noted that the Catholic Church, which acted as mediator in conflicts, just two weeks ago it had called for an end of political attacks, but last Thursday, President Ricardo Martinelli used the word "bandits" to address his opponents. Several unions have also called for the intervention of the Church to mediate in the social conflict of doctors (see Fides 21/5/2012) who have almost completely stopped health care assistance in the country. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 28/5/2012)