Survey for Plenary Council 2020

The Catholic church in Australia is undertaking a major review of its operations. Known as the Plenary Council 2020, the review is seeking the views of a wide range of Australians. Further details are available at plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au

The Plenary takes place at a time when successive Church reports have tracked a major decline across all age groups in the proportion of Catholics who attend Mass.

We recognise that many people who have been brought up in Catholic families and attended Catholic schools no longer have an affiliation with the Catholic church. However, as four concerned Catholics, we think it is important that their views are heard in this review process if the Church is to develop a new approach that will improve its relevance to the Australian people.

Consequently, we are asking people to complete this short on-line survey. Responses are made on an anonymous basis. They will be collated and a report will be written reflecting the views expressed. The report will be submitted to the Plenary Council and will be published at the same time. We thank Jesuit Social Services for assistance in administering the survey and for offering to direct any inquiries or feedback to the authors of this survey.

We anticipate that the survey will take approximately ten minutes to complete.

If you have any questions or queries about this survey, or if it raises concerns for you, please contact Jesuit Social Services at jss@jss.or.au and a staff member will direct your query or concern appropriately.

Thank you for considering our request. We greatly value your views.

The Initiating Committee:

Ms Patricia Faulkner AO, Sister Bernadette Gauthier SJC, Fr Joe Caddy AM, and Mr Tony Nicholson.

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* 1. Gender

Male

Female

Other

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* 2. Age

16-24

25-40

41+

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* 3. Country of birth

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* 4. Did you at any time attend Catholic schools? (tick as they apply to you)

Yes I attended a Catholic Primary School

Yes I attended a Catholic Secondary School

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* 5. Do you go to Mass?

Regularly (at least once per month)

Occasionally (6 – 12 times a year)

Rarely (only a few times each year)

Never

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* 6. Do you have other connections with the Catholic Church?

Attend youth groups, festivals or other social activities connected with the Church

Employed by Church related education, social welfare or health services

Volunteering at Church related education, social welfare or health services

Make regular donations to Church or affiliated organisations

Other (please specify)

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* 7. Thinking about the role of the Catholic church in Australian society, what do you see as its most positive contributions?

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* 8. What do you see as its most negative contributions?

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* 9. How do you rate the overall contribution of the church to Australian society?

Very negative

Negative

Neutral

Positive

Very positive

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* 10. What are the top three aspects of the Catholic church that would need to change in order for it to make a more positive contribution to Australian society?

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* 11. Are there other aspects? Please describe

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* 12. Thinking about your own life, how do you rate the overall relevance and helpfulness of the Catholic Church to you?

Not at all relevant

Not very relevant

Neutral

Relevant

Very relevant

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* 13. In preparing this survey we have received many suggestions about how the Church might become more relevant to the lives of people who have become disengaged from it. In order for the Catholic Church to be more relevant to your life and to the broader Australian community, how important are the following changes that have been suggested to us?

	Not at all important	Not very important	Neutral	A little important	Very important
Make the liturgy more engaging.	Make the liturgy more engaging. Not at all important	Make the liturgy more engaging. Not very important	Make the liturgy more engaging. Neutral	Make the liturgy more engaging. A little important	Make the liturgy more engaging. Very important
Provide greater capacity for pastoral care and spiritual nourishment.	Provide greater capacity for pastoral care and spiritual nourishment. Not at all important	Provide greater capacity for pastoral care and spiritual nourishment. Not very important	Provide greater capacity for pastoral care and spiritual nourishment. Neutral	Provide greater capacity for pastoral care and spiritual nourishment. A little important	Provide greater capacity for pastoral care and spiritual nourishment. Very important
Encourage greater traditional practices such as the Latin Mass.	Encourage greater traditional practices such as the Latin Mass. Not at all important	Encourage greater traditional practices such as the Latin Mass. Not very important	Encourage greater traditional practices such as the Latin Mass. Neutral	Encourage greater traditional practices such as the Latin Mass. A little important	Encourage greater traditional practices such as the Latin Mass. Very important
Review the Church’s position on matters to do with death and dying.	Review the Church’s position on matters to do with death and dying. Not at all important	Review the Church’s position on matters to do with death and dying. Not very important	Review the Church’s position on matters to do with death and dying. Neutral	Review the Church’s position on matters to do with death and dying. A little important	Review the Church’s position on matters to do with death and dying. Very important
Speak out more on environmental and other issues critical to the planet’s future.	Speak out more on environmental and other issues critical to the planet’s future. Not at all important	Speak out more on environmental and other issues critical to the planet’s future. Not very important	Speak out more on environmental and other issues critical to the planet’s future. Neutral	Speak out more on environmental and other issues critical to the planet’s future. A little important	Speak out more on environmental and other issues critical to the planet’s future. Very important
Give an equal status to women in all aspects of the Church.	Give an equal status to women in all aspects of the Church. Not at all important	Give an equal status to women in all aspects of the Church. Not very important	Give an equal status to women in all aspects of the Church. Neutral	Give an equal status to women in all aspects of the Church. A little important	Give an equal status to women in all aspects of the Church. Very important
Remove any practices or policies that discriminate against those from the LGBTQI community.	Remove any practices or policies that discriminate against those from the LGBTQI community. Not at all important	Remove any practices or policies that discriminate against those from the LGBTQI community. Not very important	Remove any practices or policies that discriminate against those from the LGBTQI community. Neutral	Remove any practices or policies that discriminate against those from the LGBTQI community. A little important	Remove any practices or policies that discriminate against those from the LGBTQI community. Very important
Allow a greater role for ordinary Catholics in Church decision making.	Allow a greater role for ordinary Catholics in Church decision making. Not at all important	Allow a greater role for ordinary Catholics in Church decision making. Not very important	Allow a greater role for ordinary Catholics in Church decision making. Neutral	Allow a greater role for ordinary Catholics in Church decision making. A little important	Allow a greater role for ordinary Catholics in Church decision making. Very important
Ensure that eligibility for the receipt of the sacraments is determined by the individual’s conscience and not by Church rules.	Ensure that eligibility for the receipt of the sacraments is determined by the individual’s conscience and not by Church rules. Not at all important	Ensure that eligibility for the receipt of the sacraments is determined by the individual’s conscience and not by Church rules. Not very important	Ensure that eligibility for the receipt of the sacraments is determined by the individual’s conscience and not by Church rules. Neutral	Ensure that eligibility for the receipt of the sacraments is determined by the individual’s conscience and not by Church rules. A little important	Ensure that eligibility for the receipt of the sacraments is determined by the individual’s conscience and not by Church rules. Very important
Introduce greater accountability to ordinary Catholics and the wider Australian community, concerning the governance arrangements of the Church, including the stewardship of its assets.	Introduce greater accountability to ordinary Catholics and the wider Australian community, concerning the governance arrangements of the Church, including the stewardship of its assets. Not at all important	Introduce greater accountability to ordinary Catholics and the wider Australian community, concerning the governance arrangements of the Church, including the stewardship of its assets. Not very important	Introduce greater accountability to ordinary Catholics and the wider Australian community, concerning the governance arrangements of the Church, including the stewardship of its assets. Neutral	Introduce greater accountability to ordinary Catholics and the wider Australian community, concerning the governance arrangements of the Church, including the stewardship of its assets. A little important	Introduce greater accountability to ordinary Catholics and the wider Australian community, concerning the governance arrangements of the Church, including the stewardship of its assets. Very important
Fully implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse.	Fully implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse. Not at all important	Fully implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse. Not very important	Fully implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse. Neutral	Fully implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse. A little important	Fully implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse. Very important
Speak out more on social justice issues such as homelessness, unemployment and the acceptance of refugees.	Speak out more on social justice issues such as homelessness, unemployment and the acceptance of refugees. Not at all important	Speak out more on social justice issues such as homelessness, unemployment and the acceptance of refugees. Not very important	Speak out more on social justice issues such as homelessness, unemployment and the acceptance of refugees. Neutral	Speak out more on social justice issues such as homelessness, unemployment and the acceptance of refugees. A little important	Speak out more on social justice issues such as homelessness, unemployment and the acceptance of refugees. Very important

Survey for Plenary Council 2020

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* 1. Gender

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* 2. Age

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* 3. Country of birth

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* 4. Did you at any time attend Catholic schools? (tick as they apply to you)

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* 5. Do you go to Mass?

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* 6. Do you have other connections with the Catholic Church?

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* 7. Thinking about the role of the Catholic church in Australian society, what do you see as its most positive contributions?

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* 8. What do you see as its most negative contributions?

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* 9. How do you rate the overall contribution of the church to Australian society?

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* 10. What are the top three aspects of the Catholic church that would need to change in order for it to make a more positive contribution to Australian society?

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* 11. Are there other aspects? Please describe

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* 12. Thinking about your own life, how do you rate the overall relevance and helpfulness of the Catholic Church to you?

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* 14. Finally, are you able to describe your vision of a good church in Australia or is there anything else you would like to say?