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Catholic Church Could Limit Trainee Priests" Access to the Internet and Encourage Them to Mix More with Women after Claims over Use of Gay Dating App Grindr

By Chris Summers
Daily Mail
August 25, 2016

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3757180/Catholic-Church-limit-trainee-priests-access-internet-encourage-mix-women-claims-use-gay-dating-app-Grindr.html

The Catholic Church in Ireland is considering restricting trainee priests' access to the internet amid claims that young seminarians have been meeting up using the gay dating app Grindr.

The Church is also looking at ways of encouraging young priests to mix more with women, families and lay people.

Earlier this month the Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin said he was 'somewhat unhappy' about rumours that students at St Patrick's College in Maynooth were using the app, which he claimed 'fostered promiscuous sexuality'.

Grindr, an app which allows gay men to meet up for anonymous trysts, has apparently become popular among young Irish priests

He said he would be boycotting the centuries-old college, just outside the Irish capital, and send students to a school in Rome instead.

The most senior Catholic in the Irish Republic said he made the decision some months ago because of an 'atmosphere that was growing in Maynooth' exposed through anonymous accusations in letters and online blogs.

He said: 'There are allegations on different sides.

'One is that there is a homosexual, a gay culture, that students have been using an app called Grindr, which is a gay dating app, which would be inappropriate for seminarians, not just because they are trained to be celibate priests but because an app like that is something which would be fostering promiscuous sexuality, which is certainly not in any way the mature vision of sexuality one would expect a priest to understand.'

Earlier this month Dublin's archbishop Dr Diarmuid Martin (pictured) said he would stop sending trainee priests to Ireland's main Catholic college amid claims of a gay dating culture

Now the Catholic Church in Ireland has issued a statement about how it plans to respond to the issue, which includes a full review of its internet and social media use policies.

The Daily Telegraph reported the statement said: 'Acknowledging the recent and extensive media coverage regarding the college, and the disquiet that it has caused amongst the faithful, the trustees emphasise that the Church has clear instructions on the formation of seminarians.

'It is essential that these are observed in order to form priests "after the heart of the Good Shepherd".

'There is no place in a seminary community for any sort of behaviour or attitude which contradicts the teaching and example of Jesus Christ.

'The trustees share the concerns about the unhealthy atmosphere created by anonymous accusations together with some social media comments which can be speculative or even malicious.

'Persons with specific concerns are encouraged to report them appropriately as soon as possible.'

Dr Diarmuid Martin said he was 'somewhat unhappy' about rumours that students at St Patrick's College in Maynooth (pictured) have been using gay dating app Grindr

The statement went on to point out that Pope Francis himself recently said: 'The presence of lay people, families and especially the presence of women in priestly formation, promotes an appreciation of the diversity and complementarity of the different vocations in the Church.'

Roman Catholic priests take a vow of celibacy which includes both heterosexual and homosexual acts.

Founded in 1795, Maynooth College was once the largest seminary in the world.

It was built to train 500 trainee Catholic priests every year but numbers have nosedived to about 60 in recent years with a fall-off in vocations.

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