Incarceration a key issue in synod report
“Don’t be a judging church. Visit those in prison. Welcome everybody. Push [for] supportive legislation.”
When he commenced the Synod on Synodality in October, 2021, Pope Francis called on dioceses across the globe to center the voices of those pushed to the margins. He warned of elitism and abstractions, and stressed the importance of pastoral care and labor in this synod’s mission of communion and inclusion. “All the baptized are called to take part in the Church’s life and mission,” Francis said.
Call To Action Metro New York heeded this call. In June, CTA Metro NY held its own synodal listening sessions and surveys with Catholics impacted by the criminal justice system. The findings from these conversations can be found in the chapter’s recently published synodal report, “The Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Cry Out to the Church Seeking Justice, Equality and a Community for All.”
CTA Metro NY met with recently incarcerated Catholics who now found themselves in transition; the majority were Catholics of color. In addition to these listening sessions with formerly incarcerated and at-risk Catholics, CTA Metro NY sent a questionnaire to 120 Catholics currently incarcerated in the prison system. According to the report, prison authorities largely intercepted the questionnaire; however, CTA Metro NY still received a dozen questionnaire responses.
Respondents called on the Catholic Church to take a more active role in criminal justice reform, including advocating for lesser sentences, abolishing the death penalty, eradicating solitary confinement, and releasing those who are elderly. Incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Catholics also stressed the importance of material support for chaplains working in the criminal justice system, parish programing for Catholics returning from incarceration, and destigmatizing incarceration overall.
“Post-incarceration, I would like for the Catholic Church to be less judgmental, more inclusive, and significantly more involved in their local communities, as this is critical to building a larger and stronger family of Catholic believers,” stated one respondent.
“Don’t be a judging church,” added another respondent. “Visit those in prison. Welcome everybody, push [for] supportive legislation.”
Click here to download a PDF of the full synodal report from CTA Metro NY.
