What do ACI members most want to say to their bishops on the subject of the Family?
Catholic bishops are due to meet again in Rome in October 2015 to address important issues affecting the Family. The proposed agenda for this upcoming synod, and 46 associated questions, are already compiled in a Vatican document known as the Lineamenta.
The ACI steering group has written to Archbishop Eamon Martin on the subject of consultation with lay people on this document, as requested by Pope Francis. Archbishop Martin has responded warmly, saying “I would be very interested to hear the thought of the Association on the Lineamenta and its questions.”
To be able to respond effectively to this invitation the ACI steering group now needs to hear as soon as possible from members of ACI on the subject of the family and the upcoming synod. The full text of the Lineamenta can be found by clicking this word wherever it appears on this page.
This document gives the background to the bishops’ intended agenda for October, and finishes with 46 questions for discussion. It is not expected that everyone will want to respond on all of them, but some may be of special interest just now, (e.g. Q 38 on pastoral practice in relation to people who are divorced and remarried; Q40 on the pastoral care of people with homosexual orientations; Q41 on Humanae Vitae, the papal teaching that forbids contraception.)
So the ACI steering group would like to hear now from ACI members on the subject of the family and the upcoming 2015 synod of Catholic bishops. What do you most want to say to the bishops on these matters? If you have any hope or expectation for the 2015 Family synod in Rome, what is it exactly? Are there particular questions in the Lineamenta that you have especially strong feelings about? If so, why is that?
If you do wish to respond, please do not delay in writing back to us. Irish bishops have a deadline to respond to Rome with feedback from their people of April 2015, so the sooner we can receive, read and process your response the better. Response options:
- Maximum 2000 characters in the ‘Comment’ box below, OR
- Extended response via email to info@acireland.ie OR
- By ordinary post to: ACI – re Family Synod, c/o 41 Woodcliffe Village, Howth, Co Dublin
If you find the Lineamenta questions impossible to respond to, this in itself is important for us to know, so please tell us.
Members may also make use of the forthcoming ‘Alternative Living Poll’ – promised by Catholic Church Reform International . However, use of this last option will bypass the ACI Steering Group and Archbishop Martin, so we would ask everyone to consider options 1-3 first of all.
In an effort to make the Lineamenta questions more accessible, and to simplify the response process, the Australian Catholic bishops have arranged a survey for their flocks on the Internet. You can view this by clicking here. If you prefer you can send us your responses to some of these questions, as they are extracted from the wording of the Lineamenta.