Washington, USA - Three years after the clergy sex abuse crisis rocked the Roman Catholic church, a Vatican-directed evaluation of all U.S. seminaries is scheduled to begin late next month.
Archbishop Edwin O'Brien, the U.S. coordinator for the review, said 117 bishops and seminary staff will visit more than 220 campuses, working in teams of three for smaller programs or four for the larger ones, Catholic News Service reported Monday.
The visits are one result of the abuse crisis that hit the American church with full force in 2002. The study will give special attention to schools' preparation for the celibate life and fidelity to church teachings on morality.
Another brewing issue that could be involved is whether seminaries should enroll priestly candidates who are homosexual but willing to abide by the celibacy rule.
O'Brien could not be reached Monday at the offices of the Archdiocese for the Military Services in Washington, which he leads. A spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said he had no further information.
The teams will review documents provided by the schools in advance and may interview teachers, students and recent alumni. Reviewers will file their reports directly to the Vatican, which will then send confidential evaluations to the bishops and religious superiors responsible for the schools and prepare an over-all evaluation, the news service said.
The teams were appointed by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education, which oversees seminaries, and in consultation with the U.S. bishops' committee on priestly training and heads of male religious orders.
The education congregation in Rome has also been drafting new guidelines for accepting candidates for the priesthood that could address questions about gays. The status of that document and its exact contents are unknown.