Seminary system is ‘alien to the needs of the student’

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Sarah MacDonald
PUBLISHED
03/08/2016

Another former priest who studied at St Patrick’s seminary in Thurles before it was shut down in 2002 has said that the problems in seminary formation are wider than just Maynooth.

The individual is the second man to report to the Irish Independent about allegations of inappropriate behaviour at training institutions for priests.

The man spoke out ­after Archbishop of Dublin ­Diarmuid Martin explained that his decision not to send trainee priests to St Patrick’s College was due to a “worrying” atmosphere.

The fresh claims come after a former trainee priest, who alleges that he was harassed by a member of staff while studying in Maynooth, made an official complaint to gardaí yesterday.

He said that a priest who was meant to be his “spiritual father” acted inappropriately towards him on a number of occasions.

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