In the New Testament, Jesus says, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,” and “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
Nevertheless, it’s unclear whether Pope Francis will be able to directly hear from Peoria-area Catholics about their thoughts on cohabitation, contraceptives, divorce and other questions that the Vatican is seeking in preparation for an October Synod of Bishops, who’ll be discussing such topics related to the family.
Despite an October 18 request by the Vatican official overseeing the process that directed bishops to distribute the questionnaire “as widely as possible, to deaneries and parishes, so that input from local sources can be received,” the Diocese of Peoria distributed the survey to parish priests, who were expected to confer with laypeople.
Timing was a problem, according to Monsignor James Kruse, a Vicar General with the Diocese of Peoria.
“It was a very tight timeline,” Father Kruse said. “It was sent to pastors before Thanksgiving, and they were to meet and discuss it.
“Admittedly, it was not widely disbursed, but it was a very limited time,” he continued. “It had to be sent to the [United States] Conference [of Catholic Bishops] by December 31.”
January 31 was the announced deadline for the survey data to be sent to Rome, but the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is compiling the material first.
Repeatedly over the last three months, bishops worldwide were told to seek feedback from the pews, not just from advisers, according to Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops.
“The consultation must gather information from the grass roots and not limit itself to the level of the Curia or other institutions,” said Baldisseri, general secretary of the Vatican’s Synod of Bishops.
The Oct. 5-19 Synod – just the third such meeting in 50 years – is intended to discuss challenges to families today, from divorced Catholics to same-sex couples.
Baldisseri said Pope Francis wants to promote collegiality and consultation with bishops, and the Holy Father himself said he wants to listen to the 1.2 billion Catholics in the world.
Seeking greater transparency, whether in discussions with sisters or in dealings with the Vatican Bank, Pope Francis – the first Jesuit Pope, the first Pope from outside Europe in 1,300 years, and the first to call himself Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi – was named Time magazine’s “person of the year.”
While supporting existing doctrine, the 266th Supreme Pontiff also has criticized clergy that “obsess” over culture war issues such as abortion and homosexuality, and “hypocritical neo-clericalism.”
He’s condemned “the idol called money” and systems of “exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills,” he said, and he replied to a question about his opinion of gay people by saying, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
As to withholding the Eucharist from a divorced Catholic, he said that Communion “is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment.
“The Lord has redeemed all of us – all of us – with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone!” the Pope said. “ ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much.
We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: We will meet one another there.”
The survey has dozens of questions about church teachings on matters of family, marriage and sex, and how they are accepted by everyday people, and the Vatican said it prefers no changes in the questionnaire.
“The seriousness of the consultation must be respected, above all, by treating the topics un-biasedly, completely and [with] all sincerity,” Baldisseri said.
Findings from the questionnaire are to be published in May.
A letter to U.S. bishops from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reportedly implied that bishops’ own observations may be sufficient, but a Nov. 5 press conference by Baldisseri clarified that the Vatican expects bishops to provide summaries of parishioners’ views and experiences.
“There is a growing debate over what exactly this effort means,” wrote Mary Sanchez in the Kansas City Star, “whether the hierarchy will try to stand in its way, and what its outcome may be. No one expects a change in doctrine, an about-face on long held moral teachings, or a loosening of the patriarchal hold of the leadership.
And yet the fact that the questions are being broached at all is significant.”
People can send their responses directly to the Vatican, but the questionnaire was set up for people to go through local bishops.
Dozens of dioceses posted some version of the survey online to facilitate laypeople’s feedback, including many in Canada, all of England and Wales, and all four of Iowa’s dioceses. (As of January 7, the Des Moines Diocese posting was still online – http://www.dmdiocese.org/family-ministry.cfm, as was the posting by the Archdiocese of Baltimore – http://www.archbalt.org/vaticansurvey/) Vatican Radio formerly had it posted, as did Belgian bishops, who also printed it in their magazines.
(* The Vatican’s online copy is at www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20131105_iii-assemblea-sinodo-vescovi_en.html (* Another online copy was still available on Jan. 6 at a Canadian Diocese web site:
www.saskatoonrcdiocese.com/news_articles/documents/Marriage_Family_Life_Full_Survey.pdf ) The survey doesn’t distinguish between what people think and what people do, nor can it gauge the opinion of ex-Catholics who might have left the Church because of differences with interpretations of Scripture.
U.S. Catholics number more than 78 million, about a quarter of the population. But while Catholicism is the largest denomination in the country, the number of ex-Catholics would be the second largest, as one in ten Americans are fallen-away Catholics.
People have left the Catholic Church because of dissatisfaction with teachings on abortion, homosexuality, birth control, divorce and remarriage, according to the Pew Research Center. Indeed, for example, the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) says that 58% of Catholics favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally, and a 2012 National Center for Health Statistics report showed 61% of Catholic women age 15-44 use some contraceptive method.
John Ryan – a Catholic involved with the reform-oriented Doors of Hope Fellowship, active in the Diocese of Peoria and founded in part by the late Father John Dietzen, a noted Peoria priest and author – is not unsympathetic to managing the opportunity to let Rome know what’s felt in the pews.
“The survey itself is ponderous, poorly framed, and absolutely beyond the capacity of the average pew Catholic to respond [to],” Ryan said. “The survey as written is totally unsuitable as a tool to elicit the input of laity. I found the questions poorly worded and unclear. I also would have to say that someone completing this questionnaire in its entirety would need to have a fairly broad understanding of the church’s teaching on family issues, marriage, divorce, family planning, etc.
“It is up to each bishop to solicit input as they see fit,” Ryan continued. “In the case of Bishop Jenky, I expect he will formulate something to send in on behalf of the diocese, but not without help from some of his clerical staff.
“As for the likelihood Bishop Jenky (or most U.S. bishops, for that matter) will solicit input from the laity: My strong hunch is that the chances are near zero.”
Nevertheless, some recall the line from the Old Testament. Proverbs 1:5 says, “Let the wise listen and increase their learning; let the person of understanding receive guidance.”