American unease at Vatican seminary study

AN INVESTIGATION of seminaries in the United States by the Holy See has left some American clergy aghast.
An in-depth study of all college-level seminaries and houses of formation in the country was announced by Rome on September 23. Reactions to the news among seminary officials have ranged from puzzlement to welcome.
Several such officials discounted press reports of fears by unnamed scholars that the study would be used as the basis for a witch-hunt against theologians or a crackdown by the Vatican on diversity in United States seminaries.
Mgr. William Baumgartner, head of the seminary department of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). said that the number of units that will be studied depends partly on how the mandate from Rome is interpreted.
According to latest NCEA figures, he said, there are 50 theological school courses in the United States. 26 four-year college-level seminaries, 142 institutions that have a collegelevel residential course in conjunction with a college. and 76 houses of formation connected with theology schools or con sortiums.
The announcement of the study said that Pope John Paul II expressly wanted the U.S. bishops and those responsible for seminary formation to be consulted closely in developing the overall plan for the study as well as in the study process.
"People are naturally wondering what's happening, what's going down" with the Romeinitiated study, said Fr Donald Skwor, executive director of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. a national agency of heads of male religious orders. Religious orders run a majority of the seminaries in the United States.
Fr Skwor added that a reaction of nervousness about such a study is "natural" because American Catholics have been "historically conditioned" to an attitude of "when Rome moves in. watch out."
But he said he thought it was "premature to jump to any conclusions as to hidden motives." "There have been so many new developments in seminary training since Vatican II ... I think quite honestly that the Vatican feels it has to get a pulse on what is going on" in seminaries around the world, he said.
The study was requested by American Cardinal William Baum. prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education.
Similar studies are under way in at least two other countries. Brazil and the Philippines.