Scottish Catholic Observer

In preparation for next year’s Extraordinary Synod on the Family, which Pope Francis announced last month, the Vatican has sent a questionnaire to the world’s bishops to disseminate among priests and people.

The Scottish bishops discussed how best to disseminate the questionnaire among their flock when they met this week. Copies have now been passed to each diocese by the general secretary of the conference and the bishops will arrange for them to be circulated to parishes. The English and Welsh bishops have set up a website on the survey.

The responses to the questionnaire will be analysed as part of the preparation for the synod from October 5 to 19 next year on the theme: Pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelisation.

The first part of the consultation asks: “Describe how the Catholic Church’s teachings on the value of the family contained in the Bible, Gaudium et Spes, Familiaris Consortio and other documents of the post-conciliar Magisterium is understood by people today? What formation is given to our people on the Church’s teaching on family life?”

The questionnaire also quizzes local churches over what pastoral attention can be given to people who are in same-sex partnerships and what can be done to help the adopted children of such unions to be formed in the Faith.

The issue of contraception is also on the synod agenda.

—This story ran in full in the November 8 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.