All roads lead to Rome as Irish seminary gripped by Grindr scandal

IRELAND
The Register

A group of Irish trainee priests are being packed off to Roma, after claims some fathers-in-training at their existing berth in the Emerald Isle had developed a predilection for gay hookup site Grindr.

Catholic archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, has reportedly pulled the diocese’s three trainees from St Partick’s College, Maynooth, citing “strange goings on” and a worrying “atmosphere” at the venerable seminary, The Irish Times reports.

“There seems to an atmosphere of strange goings-on there, it seems like a quarrelsome place with anonymous letters being sent around,” the archbish said obliquely. The three will instead continue their training at the Irish College in Rome.

The Irish Independent went into more detail, reporting that there had been accusations of “inappropriate” behaviour at Maynooth, with some seminarians apparently using Grindr.

The Irish Independent added that at least one other bishop is considering withdrawing his trainees from the Kildare college, which has 60 seminarians in all.

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