Leading exorcist appeals for improved seminary formation
June 23, 2017
In an address to members of the Congregation for the Clergy, the chairman of the International Association of Exorcists appealed for an improved formation of seminarians.
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“Those in charge of training seminarians, in light of the Gospel and of the Church teachings, should instruct them about the real existence, substance and nature of the demonic world,” said Father Francesco Bamonte.
“The scant attention paid by seminaries and theological faculties to the demonic world today, and even its denial by some professors,” he continued, “is an extremely worrying factor.”
Poor seminary formation, said Father Bamonte, leaves priests
unable to guarantee a profound spiritual direction … unable to offer the faithful a suitable catechesis on the devil’s activities, and unable to address the serious problems related to the rise in occult practices we have seen in recent decades, which has opened the door for the devil’s ever more virulent and powerful action in society.
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Posted by: susana8577 -
Jun. 26, 2017 11:43 PM ET USA
Formation is important when it takes a "worthy" priest and trains him not to believe in the supernatural. If New Age practices are doorways to evil, imagine the doorway left by a priest who has no idea that any of that matters. We need to close the priests' doorway with proper formation. This in turn will help those in his care and the larger society.
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Posted by: feedback -
Jun. 24, 2017 1:24 PM ET USA
@Elan: "Worthy" would be synonymous with "suitable," or "qualified" vs. "not qualified." It comes from Vat. II - OPTATAM TOTIUS, ch.6: "In the entire process of selecting and testing students, however, a due firmness is to be adopted, even if a deplorable lack of priests should exist, since God will not allow His Church to want for ministers if those who are worthy are promoted and those not qualified are, at an early date, guided in a fatherly way to undertake other tasks."
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Posted by: Elan -
Jun. 23, 2017 9:56 PM ET USA
I beg to differ. If formation is right, then good and holy priests will inspire more potentially "worthy " candidates. No one is worthy. Good priests attract those who God has called to this ministry. Unfaithful or medocre priests cause priestly vocations to flee.
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Posted by: feedback -
Jun. 23, 2017 8:02 AM ET USA
Recruitment and admission of worthy candidates to the priesthood is much bigger problem than formation. If someone has a "vocation" not to dedicate himself totally to Christ and his Church but to use ordination to promote a personal lifestyle agenda opposed to the Catholic Faith, or to live a sexually hedonistic lifestyle, then his "vocation" comes directly from below rather than from above.
