to think that the Catholic Church is deliberately taking the piss with this questionnaire?

[Slatecross]

Accessible to your average left footer?

Perhaps the better way of summarising the questionnaire is: "are Roman Catholic doctrines as currently set out by the church being accepted?". Yes, perhaps it is a bit of an exam to see how Catholic people are, but it does at least show (for once) that the Vatican is interested in what local Roman Catholics actually believe.

The Roman Catholic Church is not, and hasn't ever been, a democracy. I doubt it would consider the views of people without some kind of theological grounding of much use. Nothing wrong with that. Where it has gone wrong is in allowing its clergy to become totally divorced from its laity, and it looks to me as if the survey is designed to find out how bad things have got.

and who knows, perhaps they'll start recognising other churches as Proper Christians

Sadly the survey monkey version is just as opaque as the paper version.

They do recognise other churches as other Christians, Toad. I married a non-Catholic and he has always been enthusiastically welcomed and received. His minister helped officiate at our wedding, 18 years ago.

Ground-level Roman Catholics do - all the time - but not the big cheeses at the Vatican who make the rules.

I respect the Catholic Church precisely because it is the only real opposition to a secular society that devalues human life and a green philosophy that believes each human's "carbon footprint" harms God's planet.

I think "irregular marriages" means those contracted between divorcees or same sex.

I looked at it again. And I just don't know how how to fill it in or answer any of the questions without panic and bile and confusion. Especially the bit where they say... it would be helpful if we could have your name so we can question you further..

Why don't they just do a quiz first, to find out if anyone knows any of the stuff they are meant to know?

Surely feeding back confusion about catholic doctrine is helpful?

Absolutely no way they were having my name and email. Bad enough them knowing which parish. I suspect our PP could easily identify me if they pushed him to say who I was and I found that rather off-putting, even though we get on well.

Thank you to those who have completed it.

I would like to, but just don't have the intellect.

That is a good idea, katatonic Thank you.

I really don't like this questionnaire. It says it's aimed at everyone but most of the questions are inaccessible to everyone but the clergy/ lay people who take an really active role in the church - prayer group leaders etc.

I probably could probably answer about of the questions if I took as much time/effort on it as I did on a university essay/job application - but lets face it, I'm not going to. It's too much work for something I doubt will be listened to.

Something more market researchy would get far more responses from 'avarage' Catholics.

I'm about halfway through. I am getting blunter and blunter. Can't do anymore tonight so I will revisit tomorrow.

I think it's best to do what you can, even if it's just to say 'are you on glue?'. At least they can't say that they tried and no-one responded.

"On glue"! PMSL

Every question is like an essay question!

Yes, just send in what you've done and tell them that you are disappointed in the survey design and a broad outline of your beliefs.

They NEED to know this. Otherwise they'll say, 'Oh we surveyed lay people too but they didn't respond.'

By contrast, the US version.

papalsurvey.com/

The US one looks much more user friendly. It would be interesting to compare the results of both and see if the US version elicited a wider array of responses simply by being easier to understand.

Someone on another forum was saying people should email Archbishop Vincent Nichols and express our dismay. His email appears to be [email protected].
{Looks for volunteers}

That's not "the" US version, that was created by a group pushing for a certain agenda. They are welcome to provide their opinions (and solicit answers to these question), but it's not what the Synod was looking to find out.

Here is the official version:

www.scribd.com/mobile/doc/180575701

Our local priest said it was fine to focus on one thing if that is all we felt able to do...a phrase or word in the question etc.

Haven't done it yet but will be doing it.

I went to church with my GPs last weekend, since I was staying with them, and the priest asked the congregation to do this survey, with the suggestion that "anyone who doesn't have a computer should ask another member of the parish if they can pop round and use theirs."

GM and SGF were both keen to do the survey, but while they have a computer they're not confident with anything beyond basic wordprocessing and emailing and they wouldn't have wanted to impose on anyone else. Good thing I'm here, I thought, they can dictate their answers to me this afternoon before I go.

Then I saw the questions. In the end I printed them out so they could email me their answers.

I think Pope Francis sounds like a great thing for the Catholic Church and if he wants the laity's opinions that's wonderful but there must be a better way to do it? My GPs have been involved with the church since childhood and still found the questions difficult. And while I can appreciate that online is the easiest way to do a survey on that scale, they're still excluding a huge chunk of their members by doing it that way. People who aren't computer literate and don't have anyone to help them might have spent their entire lives involved in the church and have some great insights but they'll be excluded and then feel guilty for not doing what their priest asked. Not fair.

Totally agree. My parents are very computery but were just put off by the phraseology and as my mum said, it made them feel a bit uneducated, which they're not.

Our priest asked us to fill in just one question if we felt able. If you had heard him speak (he is about 78) you would have wanted to fill in the damn form, just to please him. He was so humble, just said something about it was so helpful to know what the parishioners thought, as they were the ones experiencing family life, and he knew there were lots of single mothers out there doing a great job.

Still, it doesn't change the fact that not only it is inpenetrable, on the computer (therefore they can trace you) but it feels like an invasion to be asked what your name and parish is. It feels like we are being asked to review the parish as well as anything else - which is not fair on all the priests. What if a few people say unpleasant things, and not many people say good things - it is just statitisitically unreliable. You cannot do an Ofsted report on a parish in this way and in this manner.

I've finished at last. I didn't answer all the questions, because I couldn't and I didn't put my parish on, although I did put my diocese on. I think the whole thing is a bit pointless but I'm glad I've done it.