MAYNOOTH, Ireland, MARCH 30, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the apostolic visitor for Irish seminaries, is affirming that his report is not yet complete, and that there has been no “recommendation” made to Rome to close any seminaries in the country.
Speculative media reports suggested last week that St. Patrick’s College Maynooth may close. According to the Irish Catholic, the decision to close Ireland’s 200-year-old national seminary was made after the recent apostolic visitation by the archbishop.
“Our report to the Holy See is still not even complete,” Archbishop Dolan noted in a statement released Tuesday by the Irish Episcopal Conference.
“The sole mandate of the apostolic visitation is to review the seminaries to ensure they are responding properly to the present-day needs of the Church,” he added.
St. Patrick’s College Maynooth has been forming men for the priesthood since 1795.
