Much has been made of Catholics’ negativism toward Church teaching and practice on marriage as it was reflected in survey results released by several European bishops’ conferences and some U.S. dioceses. The mostly self-selected respondents predictably disagreed with the Church about many things, leading progressive Catholic media to claim this showed the need for change.
The surveys were part of the runup to the “extraordinary” assembly of the world Synod of Bishops next October. A second, “ordinary” assembly is scheduled a year later to develop recommendations. Final decisions—probably a year after that—will be up to the Pope. As reactions to the survey results made clear, the lobbying is already intense.
Read Full Article »
