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Dear Catholic Exchange:
I am hoping you can help me. How do I send a message to the Vatican?
Thanks,
Lisa
Dear Lisa,
Peace in Christ! Your email to Catholic Exchange raises some very important issues of how problems or concerns are addressed in the Church. There are some general points to make and then, more specific ones. I hope this response will provide some insight and direction.
The Church speaks of both obligations and rights of all the Christian faithful, i.e., clergy, laity, and religious. These obligations and rights are mostly enumerated in the Code of Canon Law, canons 208-223. Among those rights are included expressing needs and desires—especially spiritual ones—to the sacred pastors, the right to worship according to the dictates of liturgical law, and the right to be taught the truth in accordance with the Magisterium of the Church. These rights carry with them corresponding obligations. In addressing issues in the Church, the faithful are bound by obedience, not only to the Church universal, but also to their “particular” Church, that is, their respective dioceses (cf. Catechism, no. 833). Filial obedience to Rome cannot be separated from the relationship to the local Church, inasmuch as the bonds of ecclesial communion make the faithful one. The common good must be considered when addressing issues and due reverence and respect for all persons involved must always be shown.
The rights and obligations of the faithful are maintained, in part, by observing the principle of subsidiarity (cf. Catechism, no. 1883). Simply stated, what happens on a local level should be addressed on the local level. A higher authority should only come in as a last resort. Concretely, if a priest is going to be accused of dissent, for example, a higher authority is unlikely to consider an accusation if the bishop who is responsible for the priest has not been approached. The Church, to its highest levels, acts authoritatively, but the Church is not authoritarian. For additional reading, see the attached Faith Fact, The Necessity of Law and Right Order.
To assist the faithful, Catholics United for the Faith has prepared our Effective Lay Witness Protocol (www.cuf.org/protocol.htm), which briefly and generally provides the steps one should take when addressing issues. For information on specific points of doctrine or discipline within the Church, people may call our toll-free line, 1-800-MY-FAITH (693-2484).
Finally, the emails you sent were most likely bad addresses because the Church does not typically deal with such issues via cyberspace. The Official Catholic Directory (OCD) lists addresses, fax and phone numbers, but no emails. Were the Vatican to establish an email address, the floodgates would open. It would take months of sifting through emails to get to important ones like yours, only to reply that the bishop must first be notified.
I hope this helps. If you have further questions or would like more information about our apostolate, feel free to call at the number listed above. May God bless your day with peace.
United in the Faith,
David E. Utsler
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
