It's interesting how much "spin" you can put into a translation. It's clear that the UK and (laity-prepared) US surveys come from the same source, but there's an entirely different tone to the two of them. I would suppose if todays US bishops were to publish their translation of the survey, it would look very much like the UK translation. Despite the "spin" put on these surveys, I hope that somebody hears the truth. If the Catholic Church is to survive, it must take on the robe of charity. It's not the teaching that much change, it's the attitudes - the Catholic Church must really believe the Law that requires Christians to "love one another" - and that means loving people no matter what their sexual orientation or marital "irregularity" or attitude about abortion might be.

-Joe-

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So, here are my answers to the unofficial American survey. This is a shorter one prepared by an organization called Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, http://papalsurvey.com/. I think I like the longer one better, http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SynodOnFamilyUS.

The Church and Family Life
How well is the Church's teaching on marriage and family life communicated in your parish community? How does your local Church support married couples in their journey, especially those who struggle with marital difficulties?
I think my parish does this quite well, and so does my diocese. There are solid marriage preparation programs, Marriage Encounter and Retrovaille, The topic is often addressed in homilies, and in a realistic way.
In addition, my parish has a very good parish school, and many social and religious activities for families that are very popular.
I think that the measures taken to prevent child molestation are quite good. All employees and priests, and all volunteers who work with children, are fingerprinted and checked for criminal records, and all are given annual training on how to detect and report suspicious conduct with children. Instances of suspected child abuse must be reported to law enforcement authorities and to the diocese immediately. Children are given instruction about child molestation.

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Outreach to Divorced and Separated Persons
How does your parish community welcome divorced and separated persons? How are they included in the life of the parish? Are they given sufficient space to be full and active members of the Church?
Divorced and separated people are welcomed, and there are programs to help people get over the pain of divorce. However, there are no accommodations for them it they get married again, even if the marriage takes place years after the divorce. They generally aren't actively rejected from their parish if they marry again, but they know that they are no longer welcome to participate fully in the Church and receive communion. Some ignore the restriction and receive communion anyway, but most just quietly fall away.

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Outreach to Same-Sex Couples and Gay Persons
How does your parish community welcome same-sex couples and gay persons? How are they included in the life of the parish? Are they given sufficient space to be full and active members of the Church?
My parish generally ignores that fact that gay people exist, although they are not actively excluded from parish activities. My own parish does not actively support campaigns against gay marriage, but neither is there any discussion about gay marriage in my parish. My bishop actively opposes legislation that allows gay marriage, and he withdrew funding from a homeless service program that hired an executive director who spoke in favor of gay marriage.

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Being A Church of Mercy and of Welcome
Pope Francis has declared his desire that the Church be a place of mercy and of welcome. As he and other bishops come together to discuss family life in 2014, what can the Church do to achieve this vision more fully? Please speak on the basis of personal experience.
I think that in general, the Catholic Church does this quite well, particularly in welcoming immigrants and in serving the poor and homeless. Most of the social services in my area, have Catholic roots and are now open to volunteers and client no matter what their religious beliefs may be.
Of course, the Catholic Church fails to welcome people who are gay, or who are divorced and remarried.

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