In the second part of my commentary to The Sunday Times (February 23), I gave a bit of news that was, most probably, overlooked by many. I wrote that in reply to my query, the Communications Office of the Curia informed me that the Bishops will be publishing the results of the Vatican questionnaire in preparation for the October Extraordinary Synod about the Family.
One may ask why I consider this information to be of news value since it should have been obvious that this should be the natural thing to do. How can one publicly ask people for their opinion on a subject of direct relevance to them and then keep those answers a secret? Unfortunately there are people who think that there is nothing wrong in keeping the results of the questionnaire under wraps. Media reports made it known that the Vatican directed the bishops to refrain from publishing the same results. Several bishops then decided to do just that.
The Bishops of England and Wales together with the Scottish as well as Irish bishops, for example, contented themselves by sending the results to the Vatican. The Catholic influential weekly magazine, The Tablet, lambasted the decision: “It is somewhat bizarre to consult the faithful on matters of doctrine and then not to tell them what the consultation amounted to – particularly when the matters concerned are of the utmost importance to them, affecting the lives and happiness of millions.”
Since then Cardinal Vincent Nichols, in an interview with The Tablet said that there would be material relating to the responses published in his Archdiocese of Westminster by the end of this month in a document he described as “a reflection”.
Other episcopal conferences decided to go public. These include, among others the German, Swiss, Belgian, Dutch and Japanese bishops. Very few among the U.S. bishops decided hold extensive consultations by inviting all Catholics in their diocese to answer the questionnaire.
One of the US bishops who took this route is Robert Lynch of St Petersburg, Florida. He published an 18 page report with the statistics that result from the consultation with the grass roots. Besides he commented on the same results in his regular blog.
"On the matter of artificial contraception, the responses might be characterized by saying, 'That train left the station long ago,' " he wrote in a Feb. 7 blog about his report. "Catholics have made up their minds and the sensus fidelium [the sense of the faithful] suggests the rejection of church teaching on this subject."
His use of the theological term ‘sensus fidelium’ is significant as it is usually used to refer to something of theological significance.
The quote from Bishop Lynch characterises the responses published so far. Such results are no news to anyone who has contact with believers. Besides so many surveys have been published in so many countries about the Church’s position on, among other subjects, sexual morality that no one should have expected different results.
The attempt to keep the results of this consultation confidential can give the impression that the Church has something to hide; a perception which does no one no good. Moreover it is bound to disappoint many people as they feel it is not in synch with the enthusiasm being generated by the belief that the Church that is ready for change and renewal.
In this instance the Church should be guided by the maxim that the truth sets us free and opt for publication of the results; a wise decision now taken also by the Maltese bishops.