I read of the poor response to the current bishop’s conference survey on the family (The Tablet, 25 April). This was the very first that I had heard about it! I am not aware that there has been any information from our Bishop or clergy to tell the laity about the survey and ergo no encouragement that we should complete it.
Last year I filled in the survey which I found sometimes laborious and obscure. The results were never published. Why? This year’s questions are simpler and accessible – although they tend to infer that the respondents are in stable and regular family units. In my opinion the views of those who are single or in irregular relationships should also be of interest to the bishops. However, I am now left thinking the worst – that the clergy in this country are not even prepared to pay lip service to learning how their parishioners feel about these important matters.
Alison Flath, Bury St Edmunds, East Anglia Diocese
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