For the first time in history, as far as I know, the experiences of ordinary people are being solicited by a pope, a pope who seems genuinely interested in the everyday lives of individuals and families around the world. As a result, we have an opportunity to voice some of the concerns we have discussed among ourselves for decades, and to share the experiences and insights born of Catholic family life in all its permutations and diversity.
Pope Francis has called an Extraordinary Synod of Bishops to be held in October of next year. Its theme is the Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization. In preparation for this global conversation, Pope Francis has asked that a questionnaire be circulated as widely as possible to gather input from Dioceses, deaneries and parishes so that local people can respond. Bishops of England, Wales and others have posted the questionnaire online while Bishops in the U.S. seem disinclined to seek broad-based input from individuals and families themselves. Lay groups, however, have been inspired to create and circulate surveys to solicit grassroots input in response to the Vatican request.
In a November 16 article in the National Catholic Reporter, Brian Roewe provided a link to two survey possibilities as well as the the original Vatican preparatory document with its extensive list of in-depth questions. That document can be found at
A coalition of 15 church reform groups, most of them part of COR (Catholic Organizations for Renewal) created and posted a survey online for Catholics in the U.S. It can be found at
This survey will remain open until December 15, at which time the group will collect all responses and send them to Archbishop Baldisseri (Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops), Cardinal Sean O’Malley (U.S. representative on Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinals), Archbishop Vigano (papal nuncio to the United States), and Archbishop Joseph Kurtz (President of the USCCB). The Vatican wants a summary from every Bishop’s Conference by the end of January, so the U.S. Bishops set Dec. 31 as their deadline for receiving responses.
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good launched its version of the survey on November 1st. It can be found at
Take your choice, and let your concerns and experiences be part of this global conversation. It is a beginning, and hopefully a first step toward a truly inclusive Catholic church that listens to all of its people and honors the Spirit’s movement, Sophia’s wisdom, in every life experience, however different from the norm, however “irregular” it may seem.
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