My diocese has many priests from Africa serving here, as I know many dioceses across the United States do. I asked one young priest why are African seminaries bursting at the seams, and his response was largely that their seminary structure is like the horrible old days that only 90 year old priests now remember. They have high school seminaries, they are incredibly strict, their seminaries enforce a very high standard of conduct. There is obviously something good there, something that resonates well with men, at least the men in Africa. And the young priests I have known from Africa have been great men.
I'll admit my hypocrisy, I'm glad I didn't have to go through that. But high school seminaries are not the problem. Predators are the problem. Predators will hunt wherever they are. So we must be vigilant, always and everywhere. Safe environment is not perfect, but it's a good basis. The problem in this particular case is that continental Europe does not have the same trauma of child sex abuse as the anglosphere does. The Church in the English speaking world has been ravaged in the courts over the abuse crisis. Lamentable, but warranted. It may take the civil government punishing the Church in Europe in order for them to feel it. The elephant in the room though is that the civil government and the Church are one entity in the Vatican.
My brother went through minor seminary, dropped out after one year of seminary, and finished many years later. There was nothing problematic about his minor seminaries.
You are one hundred percent correct.We have a minor seminary that makes my skin crawl. Sisters waiting on seminarians,Latin being taught, boys who are socially immature and a clericalist atmosphere dominated by an out of touch rector who has the ear of the bishop. AND they want US to pay for it!! Folks just don’t get it! Sad
Thanks for reporting and ugh again.
Has anyone looked into why a 14-year-old was sexually abusing anyone?
Teen aged boys belong with their families, doing normal healthy things teenagers do.
They don't need to be in a setting where they are more vulnerable to abuse and being formed too early to discern what they are called to do in life.
Minor seminaries, are for the most part thing of the past, and should remain so. They have proven to be problematic.
If a teenager is discerning the priesthood he can do it best with his family and in the local parish.
Wholeheartedly, strongly, absolutely agree.
My diocese has many priests from Africa serving here, as I know many dioceses across the United States do. I asked one young priest why are African seminaries bursting at the seams, and his response was largely that their seminary structure is like the horrible old days that only 90 year old priests now remember. They have high school seminaries, they are incredibly strict, their seminaries enforce a very high standard of conduct. There is obviously something good there, something that resonates well with men, at least the men in Africa. And the young priests I have known from Africa have been great men.
I'll admit my hypocrisy, I'm glad I didn't have to go through that. But high school seminaries are not the problem. Predators are the problem. Predators will hunt wherever they are. So we must be vigilant, always and everywhere. Safe environment is not perfect, but it's a good basis. The problem in this particular case is that continental Europe does not have the same trauma of child sex abuse as the anglosphere does. The Church in the English speaking world has been ravaged in the courts over the abuse crisis. Lamentable, but warranted. It may take the civil government punishing the Church in Europe in order for them to feel it. The elephant in the room though is that the civil government and the Church are one entity in the Vatican.
My brother went through minor seminary, dropped out after one year of seminary, and finished many years later. There was nothing problematic about his minor seminaries.
You are one hundred percent correct.We have a minor seminary that makes my skin crawl. Sisters waiting on seminarians,Latin being taught, boys who are socially immature and a clericalist atmosphere dominated by an out of touch rector who has the ear of the bishop. AND they want US to pay for it!! Folks just don’t get it! Sad