08/08/2026
THE WAR BETWEEN PRIESTS OFTEN STARTS IN THE SEMINARY
The wars we sometimes see among priests do not always begin in the parish. They may begin much earlier—in the seminary.
The seminary is supposed to be a school of holiness, fraternity, discipline, sacrifice and preparation for priestly ministry. It is a place where men who are discerning the priesthood learn not only theology and philosophy, but also how to live, pray, forgive, serve and walk with others as brothers.
Yet, when fraternity is not properly formed, small wounds can grow into deep divisions.
A seminarian who is constantly humiliated may learn to humiliate others. One who experiences rejection may eventually reject others. One who is treated as insignificant may later treat another brother as insignificant. A brother who is repeatedly reminded of his mistakes without being helped to grow may eventually carry resentment into his priestly ministry.
And sometimes, what begins as a simple disagreement in the seminary becomes a lifelong wound.
We must therefore ask ourselves: Are we really forming priests, or are we sometimes forming men who simply know how to survive one another?
There is a difference between discipline and humiliation. There is a difference between correction and condemnation. There is a difference between authority and domination. There is a difference between fraternity and merely living under the same roof.
A seminary can have beautiful liturgies, excellent academic formation, strict discipline and impressive structures, but if brothers cannot learn to forgive one another, listen to one another and correct one another in charity, something essential is missing.
The priesthood is not a competition.
There should be no permanent war between the young priest and the elderly priest, between the superior and the subject, between classmates, between priests of different generations or between those who received different opportunities.
Unfortunately, sometimes a priest remembers what another priest did to him many years ago and carries that wound into the future. Instead of forgiveness, there is retaliation. Instead of reconciliation, there is avoidance. Instead of fraternity, there is silent hostility.
The young priest may say, “He once treated me badly, so now I will show him that I have power.”
The older priest may say, “When I was young, nobody helped me, so why should I help you?”
And the cycle continues.
This is how a community can become a place of revenge rather than a school of love.
The seminary should teach us something different.
It should teach us that correction is an act of charity when it is done properly. If my brother is wrong, I should not laugh at him publicly or destroy his dignity. I should help him understand his mistake.
If I am wrong, I should not consider correction an attack on my personality. I should have the humility to listen and grow.
If someone hurts me, I should not immediately begin planning how to hurt him in return.
We must break the cycle.
Jesus did not call His disciples to become enemies. He called them friends and brothers. The priesthood is fundamentally a ministry of Christ's love, mercy and reconciliation. Therefore, priests must first learn to live the Gospel among themselves before they can convincingly preach it to others.
What kind of witness is it when we preach forgiveness to our parishioners but refuse to forgive another priest?
What kind of witness is it when we preach love while secretly carrying hatred?
What kind of witness is it when we tell people to reconcile with their brothers while we ourselves refuse to speak to a brother because of something that happened ten years ago?
The world does not need priests who merely preach fraternity. It needs priests who embody fraternity.
This is why seminary formation must go beyond academics and external discipline. Human formation, emotional maturity, spiritual formation, community life and the capacity for healthy relationships are indispensable to priestly formation.
Seminarians must learn how to disagree without becoming enemies.
They must learn how to correct without humiliating.
They must learn how to receive correction without becoming defensive.
They must learn how to apologize without feeling defeated.
They must learn how to forgive without keeping a secret record of past offenses.
They must learn how to celebrate another brother's success without jealousy.
And above all, they must learn that another seminarian is not a competitor but a brother.
Tomorrow, some of these seminarians will become parish priests, formators, rectors, chaplains, superiors and bishops. The way they learn to relate to one another today will influence the way they relate to the people entrusted to their pastoral care tomorrow.
If we plant bitterness in the seminary, we may harvest division in the presbyterate.
If we plant pride, we may harvest clericalism.
If we plant revenge, we may harvest generations of wounded relationships.
But if we plant forgiveness, humility, compassion and fraternity, we can build communities where priests truly support one another.
The future of priestly fraternity is being formed today.
Therefore, let us stop asking only, “Who is right?”
Let us also ask:
“How can we remain brothers even when we disagree?”
That question may save many relationships.
The Church does not need priests who are at war with one another. She needs priests who can stand together, pray together, correct one another, forgive one another and carry one another through difficult moments.
The seminary should not be the place where future priests learn how to defeat one another.
It should be the place where future priests learn how to love one another.
Because at the end of our formation, the greatest examination will not simply be how much theology we know, but whether we have learned to love.
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
Let us therefore build seminaries where fraternity is not merely written in the formation programme but lived in the corridors, chapels, classrooms, dining halls and community rooms.
Let us form priests who will not carry the wars of the seminary into the presbyterate.
Let us heal the wounds before they become weapons.
Let us correct in love.
Let us forgive in love.
Let us serve in love.
And let us remember: the brother standing beside you today may be the priest who will need your help tomorrow. Do not destroy the brother you may one day need to carry.
Br. Mario Mike
