The "why" is not a secret. The request was made by U.S. cardinals and included in article 17 of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People: "We pledge our complete cooperation with the Apostolic Visitation of our diocesan/eparchial seminaries and religious houses of formation recommended in the Interdicasterial Meeting with the Cardinals of the United States and the Conference Officers in April 2002."
Or, less vaguely, the "why" is because thousands of priests nationally and dozens from local seminaries engaged in various kinds of sexual abuse of children. To accomplish this, the visitations have two objectives.
- To examine the criteria for admission of candidates and the programs of human formation and spiritual formation aimed at ensuring that they can faithfully live chastely for the Kingdom;
- To examine other aspects of priestly formation in the United States. Particular attention will be given to the intellectual formation of seminarians, to examine fidelity to the magisterium, especially in the field of moral theology, in the light of the 1993 encyclical letter of Pope John Paul II, "The Splendor of the Truth."
The visitation teams will send questionnaires to faculty, staff, students, and recent alumni. (These have 56 question, not 96 as Father Richard McBrien said in a recent column.)
Of the 56 questions, one has generated more attention and discussion than others: "Is there evidence of homosexuality in the seminary?"
More attention and discussion than all the others put together. Saint Francis Seminary rector Fr. Michael Witczak addresses the issue, at a high level of generality.
"We're looking for candidates who will live the Christian lifestyle, and can be good, effective leaders," he said. "We want them to know and love the teachings of the church and to be able to share them."
One source of the problems might be teaching a lifestyle instead of The Way.
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