Celibacy is not about control, it is about accepting the embrace of God, writes Mgr Dermot Farrell
These past weeks have been very difficult for almost everyone in the Irish Church. People have been shocked and felt betrayed. These past weeks have also been difficult for Maynooth College. Repeated allegations referring to issues which had emerged in 1994 not only cast a deep shadow over the college, but also appear to question our integrity and our genuine quest for truth and justice. These allegations were dealt with when they emerged in 1994. They were again examined in an independent inquiry, conducted by Denis McCullough SC at the request of the College Trustees and published by them last June. These repeated allegations are the cause of much distress to present students, to alumni and to staff both past and present.
Seminarians are people who are discerning their vocation and commitment to God. They seek to hear what God is asking of them. The seminary at Maynooth is in the service of this discernment. Forming seminarians to hear the voice of God in a world of constant and rapid change is not simple - but it is rewarding.
Some people propose facile solutions to the most complex challenge of priestly formation. The solutions put forward range from ensuring seminarians are in their rooms by 7pm, to allowing priests get married. The suggestions are endless, but most do not address the issues of realistically preparing people for ministry in Ireland for the next half-century. We must prepare seminarians to face the challenges they will meet, not least their understanding the role of the priest and his mission of preaching the Gospel in a rapidly-changing Ireland. "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair . . ." (2 Cor 4:8).
Ministerial priesthood is central to how Catholics understand their church. In the years ahead, the people of God will need priests who will lead parishes in prayer, worship and charity. They will need priests who will be able to speak of God, eternal life, sin and mercy. Already today parish communities need leaders who will encourage them to become places of welcome, acceptance and refuge. Even more in the future, they will need priests, who - aware of their weakness and limitation - will embody the healing, forgiving and consoling presence of Christ among his people.
We need priests of courage and integrity, people profoundly human who are deeply rooted in Christ. We need priests who will live life from within and have the ability to work with others imaginatively, without being threatened by the skill and giftedness of the people they serve. Thankfully, such people are there. Seeing their faith and courage is one of my reasons for hope in these days.
At Maynooth we are fully committed to implementing best practice not only in the matter of child protection training, but equally in the cultivation of a style of leadership which promotes collaboration with all the baptised.
The formation team has obligations and responsibilities both to the church and to the seminarian. Formation for priesthood involves self-discovery, grasping opportunities for change and growth, mastering one's unique gifts for service and coming to terms with one's limitations. The student himself has a vital part to play in the whole process. However, one would be foolish to forget that each of us is ultimately formed by God. For instance, a spiritual director can help a student to explore what is happening in prayer. But if that student does not pray or desire to pray, all is reduced to a game.
It is true that the morale of priests has been damaged by the recent crisis. It is a difficult time, not just because of the sex abuse scandals, but also because of the enormous changes in the society in which priests minister. In consequence, many people now ask if a priest's life can be fulfilled.
To speak of fulfilment does not rule out difficulty, struggle and sacrifice. That is something which those who are married also know. Fulfilment in their lives does not rule out the sacrifices they have to make for each other and for their children; it does not exclude difficult days which can make or break a relationship or a marriage. Likewise priesthood brings fulfilment - it has for me, and for countless others in ministry today.
However, allied to this is the challenge for the Catholic priest to live a celibate life. Frequently, celibacy is misunderstood to be a matter of efficiency, cost effectiveness or even control. It is even understood so by the faithful and by a significant number of priests and religious.
This is a scandal. Celibacy is about love, it is about desire and it is about passion. It is not a denial of sexuality and love, but a specific way of shaping them. Reciprocity, mutuality and affection are as much a vital part of the celibate life as they are of married life, though clearly lived and experienced in very different ways. Celibacy is ultimately a sign that God exists and that one dares to give oneself to God's embrace.
Since 1795 students have entered Maynooth to study for the priesthood. Many have stayed to ordination; some have left the seminary and pursued other ways of life. Former students of Maynooth work as priests in towns, cities and villages around the country, where they live out their commitment to the church in the communities they serve. The great majority have been hard-working and faithful ministers of the Gospel.
There have been failures and sinners, as is just now only too painfully brought home by the child sexual abuse crisis. Not that priests are the only offenders among those from outside the family; it would seem firmly established that these "third-party" abusers, as they are called, represent only a small fraction of the abuse occurring in Irish society (SAVI report, 2002).
But priests are among those who have inflicted greater psychological and spiritual damage on children and young people. This violation of the trust and even reverence traditionally given to priests has caused understandable outrage and disorientation among priests as well as laity. It would be a further tragedy if, in pointing the finger at a few, we miss the many and ignore the cries of children still at risk.
It is clear that the evil of sexual abuse of minors is an issue that church and State must deal with. Maynooth College, in forming the priests of tomorrow, to be "servants of Christ. . . entrusted with the mysteries of God" (1 Cor 4:1) seeks to form people who are worthy of the Gospel and of all the people they are called to serve. It is only in this way that the church can be true to itself in proclaiming "glory to God . . . and peace to all who enjoy his favour" (Luke 2:14).
• Mgr Dermot Farrell is president of St Patrick's College, Maynooth