Document final — Les jeunes

The specific task of integral formation of candidates for the ordained ministry and for male or female consecrated life remains an important challenge for the Church. We note also the importance of a solid cultural and theological formation for consecrated women and men. As far as seminaries are concerned, the first task is obviously the assumption and putting into practice of the new Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis. During the Synod, some important emphases emerged, which are worth mentioning. In the first place, the choice of formation staff: it is not enough for them to be well qualified; they need to be capable of fraternal relationships, listening with empathy, profound inner freedom. In the second place, what is necessary in accompanying seminarians adequately is serious and competent work in differentiated educative teams, which include women. The make-up of these formation teams, where different vocations interact, is a small but precious form of synodality, which can have an impact on the minds of young people in their initial formation. In the third place, formation must focus on developing in future pastors and consecrated men and women their ability to carry out their role as guides in an authoritative, but not authoritarian way, educating young candidates to give themselves for the community. Special attention needs to be given to some criteria of formation, such as: overcoming tendencies towards clericalism, the ability to work in a team, sensitivity towards the poor, transparency of life-style, the willingness to allow themselves to be accompanied. In the fourth place, serious initial discernment is crucial, because too often young people who offer themselves to seminaries or houses of formation are admitted without their past history being known sufficiently well or studied in depth. This question becomes particularly delicate in the case of “wandering seminarians”: relational and affective instability, and the lack of ecclesial roots, are danger signals. Ignoring ecclesial norms on these matters is irresponsible behaviour, which can have serious consequences for the Christian community. A fifth point concerns the size of formation communities: those that are too big run the risk of de-personalization and inadequate knowledge of the young people on their journey, while those that are too small can be suffocating and suffer from a logic of dependency; in these cases it is better to found inter-diocesan seminaries or houses of formation shared by several religious provinces, with clear formation projects and well-defined responsibilities.