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NY Archbishop Dolan to recommend Irish seminary at Maynooth be closed

Low numbers and level of education prompts move to Rome college

CATHY HAYES,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Thursday, March 24, 2011, 7:18 AM

Updated Thursday, March 24, 2011, 10:07 AM

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31 Comments

Maynooth College

New York's Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan will submit a report to Pope Benedict XVI which is expected to recommend that all Irish priests be trained in the Pontifical Irish College in Rome according to the Irish Catholic newspaper.

This means that priests will no longer be trained in Ireland.

Dolan is one of the American and Canadian bishops tasked with enforcing strict new rules on the Irish church by the Vatican after the pedophile controversy.

His historic decision would mean that officially the seminaries in Ireland are no long "fit for mission". A senior academic told the Irish Catholic that the Apostolic visitor were "appalled" by the standards at Maynooth College, in Kildare where priests have been trained for centuries.

It seems that Dolan's plan would be to move all Irish seminarians to the Irish College in Rome reducing the number of non-Irish students there.

While visiting Maynooth College Dolan requested class notes and presentation from moral theology lectures to assess the suitability of the content. Evidently he was not pleased. A move to Rome would suggest that the theology being taught in Maynooth is not sufficiently orthodox.

The Apostolic Visitors believe that due to the low numbers and lack of staff it would be a better use of resources if the priests studied in Rome. Maynooth is also low on staff due to the retirement of theology professors. Currently the college only has one fulltime Canon Law faculty staff member while the Philosophy department has no fulltime staff.

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31 Comments

15 - 31 | See all comments

Collette2 | Mar 29, 2011, 12:59 AM EDT

Barneyjo, Cloudy, Claudy whatever, if you know how to spell it maybe you can answer my question. Thanks.

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Portia777 | Mar 27, 2011, 12:20 PM EDT

BishopSean "Some months ago, Irish television did an outstanding documentary film about the Irish missionary movement starting in the early 20th century. Being freedom lovers and independent thinkers, they did more to educate African freedom movement leaders than they did for maintaining British colonies in Africa. We should be proud of them, whether they studied in Maynooth or elsewhere." Really?? what wonderful men of god used the superstitions of the African peoples to convince them that the strong females were possessed and in need of eorcism - so the pope decides to educate hundreds of men in dresses to appoint them to exorcise these unseen demons- and you call that great? I call it exploitation of the innocent.

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Newrone | Mar 27, 2011, 11:54 AM EDT

@Silling (Mar 27, 2011, 11:40 AM EDT): "When I discovered that Santa Claus did not exist, I never took the God business seriously. So, in effect, I was an atheist from the age of 4. Why the Irish are still debating religion is a mystery to me. But it is a very parochial country and still very backward despite all these years in the EEC, thus some belief system is necessary for them. Come out I say and accept that there is nothing to fear. Stop annoying everyone with all this holy Ireland crap." - Wow! I could have written that myself, word for word!

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Silling | Mar 27, 2011, 11:40 AM EDT

When I discovered that Santa Claus did not exist, I never took the God business seriously. So, in effect, I was an atheist from the age of 4. Why the Irish are still debating religion is a mystery to me. But it is a very parochial country and still very backward despite all these years in the EEC, thus some belief system is necessary for them. Come out I say and accept that there is nothing to fear. Stop annoying everyone with all this holy Ireland crap. Proscribe Catholicism and get on with the Brehan Laws.

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barneyjo | Mar 27, 2011, 08:32 AM EDT

@Bishopsean - Take the Columban Missionary order. For the priests who worked in the Far East (China and the pacific islands) the average age of those murdered by chinese or Japanese forces was 28. Mind you, I cant see the current crop of missionaries being prepared to lay down their lives in the same way men from past generations were prepared to do!!

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barneyjo | Mar 27, 2011, 08:29 AM EDT

@Collette2 - Thats "Claudy"!!

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Collette2 | Mar 27, 2011, 06:55 AM EDT

MCSpartacus, would it be out of place for me to ask, did this joint British/Catholic heirarchy venture down the track have any bearing on the Cloudy bombings. God there has been so much damn suffering at the hand of others in the name of religion and politics.

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BishopSean | Mar 26, 2011, 10:06 PM EDT

Some months ago, Irish television did an outstanding documentary film about the Irish missionary movement starting in the early 20th century. Being freedom lovers and independent thinkers, they did more to educate African freedom movement leaders than they did for maintaining British colonies in Africa. We should be proud of them, whether they studied in Maynooth or elsewhere. By the way, many of these priests and sisters died young, due to the harsh climate, stressful conditions--and perhaps overwork. Many died as martyrs, especially in Asia.

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barneyjo | Mar 26, 2011, 08:04 AM EDT

"Theobald" Wolfe Tone!!

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sirpeter | Mar 25, 2011, 10:23 PM EDT

Dublinaas and you are a bad proddy. But that's no excuse for been so badly educated on the history of your homeland.Robert Emmet,Wolfe Tone all good Irish prods.What happened to you.

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Dublinjas | Mar 25, 2011, 05:27 PM EDT

sirpeter......They certainly are responsible for YOUR education. I'd rather be a BAD Protestant than a good Catholic.

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devlenboy | Mar 25, 2011, 04:35 PM EDT

Sad,sad,sad.Most of the comments make me proud to be a second generation irishman.they reflect a very informed people with knowledge of politics and church.All to long too,have the clergy played their title and acknowledgment roles to the hilt!

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sirpeter | Mar 25, 2011, 01:02 PM EDT

Course the Catholic Church did educate us in schools.What did the Prods give us..Oh yeah!! Hedge Schools...Very leaky in winter when the leafy roof blew away.

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sirpeter | Mar 25, 2011, 12:55 PM EDT

McSpartacus..Well Done!! That about sums it up. What some don't realize is..There's no war but class war and the many tools they use.

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Deirdre1 | Mar 25, 2011, 12:16 PM EDT

We know Vatican II hardly arrived in Ireland yet, but I hardly think that's what they mean by lack of orthodoxy! And God forbid priests mingle with their own peers and countrymen/women with/to whom they'll minister!I'm all for good academic standards, but see Rome as the bigger problem! Granted, they really messed up in the paedophile crsis, but so did the larger church.

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