What good news! Last month I asked, “Will the Francis wave flow to our shores?” Now comes the Vatican instruction to “national bishops’ conferences around the world to conduct a wide-ranging poll of Catholics asking their opinions on Church teachings.” The Vatican said the instruction should be disseminated “immediately, as widely as possible, to deaneries and parishes so that input from local sources can be received.”
Who has ever asked lay persons’ “opinions” before? Pope Francis is seriously seeking the Sensus Fidelium (Sense of the Faithful).
But the listed respondents are a homogenous Catholic group: “Priest, Lay person, Parent, Deacon, Professed Religious, Teacher, Pastoral Asst., Catechist, Seminarian, Hospital-Prison-Military Chaplain, Member of a Lay Association or Movement, Other.” Would “Other” perhaps include: workers, grassroots, Pentecostal, nominal, lapsed, marginalized Catholics and critics like Carlos Celdran and pro-reproductive health Catholics? Complained one: “Hey, when you claim 1.2 billion Catholics, I am included in the count because I’m baptized. Shouldn’t I be part of this poll, too?”
So important is “representative sampling” for balanced, honest results, unless we want to create an image as the bastion of the solid Catholic family, values and all, which overwrought prophets say RH is set to destroy! Get real. All kinds of unions, families, abortion, promiscuity, the whole lot, have long been here.
I hope lay persons helped put the questions together. After all, the poll deals with the life the laity LIVE—“the status of the modern family.” Compressed as well as I can, here are the 39 questions grouped under nine headings:
• Diffusion of teachings on the family from sacred scripture and magisterium
How teachings on the family in the Bible and documents like Gaudium et Spes, Familiaris Consortio etc. are taught and understood: if they are “widespread,” “accepted,” “practiced,” and if such are “known, accepted, rejected, criticized” outside the Church and “cultural factors that hinder” the teachings.
• Marriage according to the natural law
The place of the law: in “institutions, education, academic circles, people at large,” in “the union of a baptized man and woman,” among “nonpracticing Catholics” or “nonbelievers”—if and how pastoral challenges are met therein.
• Pastoral care of family in evangelization
Marriage preparation: “evangelization of couple and family,” of “domestic Church”—“a manner of praying” to “withstand life’s complexities and today’s culture”—families “transmitting the faith,” “exemplary” witnessing, “credible and holistic idea” of family—“pastoral care” for couples “in formation… and crisis situation.”
• Pastoral care in difficult marital situations
“Reality,” “percentage,” pastoring of kinds of cohabitation, “separated, divorced, remarried”—if such couples are “aware,” “indifferent,” “marginalized,” missing the sacraments—status of children of such unions.
• Unions of persons of the same sex
Country laws on such unions—Church attitude toward state and people regarding such unions—“pastoral attention” for people and children in such unions.
• Education of children in irregular marriages
Statistics on children of such marriages—relations of such parents with Church, the sacraments—how Church helps such parents on Christian education.
• Openness of married couple to life
If “Humanae Vitae” is known, accepted; difficulties in its acceptance—awareness of “morally evaluating” family planning methods—natural methods promoted by Church—effects on penance and Eucharist—attitude to having children; “How can an increase in births be promoted?”
• Relationship between family and person
Nurturing the human person in the family—obstacles to “encounter with Christ”—how “crises of faith” affects family life.
• Others—suggestions and comments
I’ve answered the questions on my own but I would be very happy to discuss them with others. How will the questionnaire reach “everyone”? Online? Copies at church doors? Through parish orgs? The feedback is to go back to the diocese up to the Holy See by the end of January (that soon!?) for the synod on the “Pastoral Challenge of the Family in the Context of Evangelization” on Oct. 5-9, 2014.
The newness of this poll is: “Instead of the [Church] presenting its ‘truth’ on ‘families,’ it’s like the Pope asking us, ‘How is it really?’” And trusting what we see. But the US bishops, for example, may just “provide their own observations.” Some bishops may “filter the answers.” But synod leaders say: “We don’t want bishops sitting around a table and drawing up a report.” Collation without bias is an enormous and delicate job.
Back in 2005, our bishops successively called on BECs (basic ecclesial communities) for “circles of discernment.” Six of us met on the first call. There was no one to mind our findings. In 2008, the bishops again called for “communal action.” Lay circles hardly got off the ground.
Not exactly famous for listening, the Church must now develop a keen and kinder ear. Pope Francis wants “real consultations,” not tokens
Asuncion David Maramba is a retired professor, book editor and occasional journalist. Comments to marda_ph@yahoo.com, fax 8284454.