Some 16,500 responses have been received by the Bishops’ Conference of England of Wales to a Vatican survey of Catholics’ views on same-sex marriage, contraception and communion for divorced and remarried couples. But their contents will not be revealed, unlike in Germany, where the responses showed a huge gap between church teaching and what Catholics believe and practise.
A spokesman said the bishops would not reveal the results of the consultation prior to next October’s extraordinary synod on the theme of marriage and the family.