Just 2 days ago, Pope Francis issued a letter addressed to all families asking them for prayers for the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. This synod has been called for by the Holy Father to discuss "pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelization". As the Holy Father wrote: "Indeed, in our day the Church is called to proclaim the Gospel by confronting the new and urgent pastoral needs facing the family"
Let's make a rewind. Towards the end of last year, bishops' conferences around the world asked the lay faithful about "their experience of family life today and dilemmas of faith". For us in England and Wales, our bishops invited us to complete an online questionnaire. Our inputs being needed before 2nd December, we were told that these will be forwarded to the International Synod on Family Life in October 2014. Frankly, the questions were technical and almost put me off. This view was shared by a friend whom I invited to join the survey. For me, participating in this survey was a chance of a lifetime, a survey unheard of previously.
Fast forward now. Bishops' conferences in the US, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, and Japan have published results of the survey (http://www.thetablet.co.uk/texts-speeches-homilies/4/283/marriage-and-the-family-what-do-catholics-around-the-world-think-read-the-few-survey-results-that-have-been-published-).
The results showed a difference between what the Church teaches and what Catholics do. I am not totally surprised with results. Having said that, my attention was caught by the Japanese bishops' criticism of the Vatican's "Europe centric" view.
Alas, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) has decided not to release the results “accordance with the wishes of the Holy See”! Ditto the conferences in Scotland and Ireland.
I doubt if it's really the Holy See's wishes that results be kept in confidence. If other bishops conferences could do it (and they all came from first world countries, mind you!) why can't those in the UK? The least that our bishops could do is be open and show us the results, the way they (or, by extension, parish priests) tell us the financial status of the (arch)diocese/parish, the need for a bigger parish hall, or the urgency of raising funds for this or that project. Some commentators dare to ask if the bishops were actually ashamed of the findings that they don't wish it to be made known.
Now, if indeed it is the Holy See's wishes that people be kept in the dark about this survey, I have the impression that the UK bishops have once again given the driver's seat to the Roman Curia, the way they (and their counterparts in other English-speaking countries) have behaved when the new English translation of the Mass was rammed through our throats. If the Holy See doesn't want conferences to divulge survey results, such action will undermine Pope Francis' attitude of openness.
Fast forward now. Bishops' conferences in the US, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, and Japan have published results of the survey (http://www.thetablet.co.uk/texts-speeches-homilies/4/283/marriage-and-the-family-what-do-catholics-around-the-world-think-read-the-few-survey-results-that-have-been-published-).
The results showed a difference between what the Church teaches and what Catholics do. I am not totally surprised with results. Having said that, my attention was caught by the Japanese bishops' criticism of the Vatican's "Europe centric" view.
Alas, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) has decided not to release the results “accordance with the wishes of the Holy See”! Ditto the conferences in Scotland and Ireland.
I doubt if it's really the Holy See's wishes that results be kept in confidence. If other bishops conferences could do it (and they all came from first world countries, mind you!) why can't those in the UK? The least that our bishops could do is be open and show us the results, the way they (or, by extension, parish priests) tell us the financial status of the (arch)diocese/parish, the need for a bigger parish hall, or the urgency of raising funds for this or that project. Some commentators dare to ask if the bishops were actually ashamed of the findings that they don't wish it to be made known.
Now, if indeed it is the Holy See's wishes that people be kept in the dark about this survey, I have the impression that the UK bishops have once again given the driver's seat to the Roman Curia, the way they (and their counterparts in other English-speaking countries) have behaved when the new English translation of the Mass was rammed through our throats. If the Holy See doesn't want conferences to divulge survey results, such action will undermine Pope Francis' attitude of openness.
During the Ordinary Consistory in Rome last Saturday, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster (shown on the right hand side of the picture above), together with 18 prelates, were inducted as cardinals. Cardinal Nichols is currently the President of the bishops' conference of England and Wales. I join Michael Phelan's appeal to the new cardinal to have "the courage to listen to the laity on these matters...rather than maintaining the unreformed top-down concept of how the Church should function" (http://www.thetablet.co.uk/blogs/1/286/dear-cardinal-nichols-will-you-be-as-brave-as-pope-francis-).
Borrowing from the Year of the Laity theme in the Philippines, I implore the CBCEW : "Choose to be brave"!
