There is always a tradition of vagantes being accused of not being well trained prior to ordination. This is, unfortunately, true in many cases and some clergy are woefully unprepared. However, this isn't just an ISM phenomenon. Modern seminary education is relatively new in the life of the church (about 500 years) and prior to that there was a great deal of mentoring, on the job training, etc. We remember that many lay people and even clergy were illiterate for much of the Church's history, so stories were told through icons, stained glass, plays, etc.
Below are some interesting statistics I compiled. This list is not to justify anything except to play "devil's advocate." I compiled it in 2006 when a traditionalist Roman Catholic bishop was being chastised for being too young at 29 for consecration. The point: people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones!
Young Priests:
- Costantino Cardinal Patrizi Naro, ordained a priest at age 20. 11
- Pope Gregory XVI, ordained a priest at age 21. 31
- Carlo Cardinal Confalonieri, ordained a priest at age 22. 10
- Helder Camara, ordained a priest at age 22. 1
- St. Pio, ordained a priest at age 22. 2
- Fr. Basil Moreau, ordained a priest at age 22. 3
- Archbishop Javier Lozano Barragán, ordained a priest at age 22. 4
- Bishop Antonio Rosario Mennonna, ordained a priest at age 22. 9
- Carlo Cardinal Confalonieri, ordained a priest at age 22. 10
Really Young Bishops:
- Pope Julius II, appointed bishop at 18.2. 28
- Raffaele Cardinal Sansone Riario, appointed apostolic administrator at age 19.6. 29
- Saint Valentine, ordained a bishop at age 20. 8
- Pope Eugene IV, appointed a bishop at age 20. 33
- Pope Gregory XIV, appointed a bishop at age 24.9 25
- Ludovico Cardinal Ludovisi, ordained a bishop at age 25.5. 19
- Pope Julius III, appointed bishop at age 25.5. 27
- Pope Benedict XIII, ordained a bishop at age 26. 15
- Pope Alexander VI, appointed bishop at 26.5. 30
- Luigi Cardinal Caetani, ordained a bishop at 26.9.
- Archbishop Eugène-Jean-Claude-Joseph Desflèches, M.E.P., appointed bishop at 28.3. 14
- Archbishop François de Pierre de Bernis, ordained a bishop at age 29.1. 20
Short-Term Priests:
- Pope Martin V, a priest for 1 day. 32
- Pope Urban VII, a priest for 4 days. 26
- Francesco Scipione Maria Cardinal Borghese, a priest for 1 month. 17
- Luigi Cardinal Valenti Gonzaga, a priest for 1 month. 21
- Pope Alexander VII, appointed after 1 month as priest. 23
- Bernardino Cardinal Gurard, a priest for one month. 34
- Giovanni Francesco Albani, a priest 3 months. 23
- Giovanni Battista Cardinal Caprara Montecuccoli, a priest for 9 months. 22
- Giulio Maria Cardinal della Somaglia, a priest for 1 year and 6 months. 12
- Marcantonio Cardinal Colonna , a priest for 1 year and 2 months. 13
- Giuseppe Cardinal Accoramboni, a priest for 2 years and 8 months. 16
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1. “'Red bishop' dies at 90.” Western Catholic Reporter. Accessed February 15, 2006 from URL: http://www.wcr.ab.ca/news/1999/0906/archbishopheldercamara090699.shtml.
2. “Padre Pio.” Biographies. Accessed February 15, 2006 from URL: http://www.discountcatholicstore.com/biographies.htm.
3. “The Story of Basil Anthony Marie Moreau.” Marianites Website. Acessed February 15, 2006 from URL: http://www.marianites.org/new/The%20Story%20of%20Basil%20Moreau%20-%20English.htm.
4. “Three Future Cardinals for Latin America .” Church News. Accessed February 15, 2006 from URL: http://www.eclesiales.org/english/archive/0310-1.htm.
5. “Bishop of East Anglia East Anglia February 15, 2006 from URL: http://www.catholiceastanglia.org/bishop/index.php?module=article&view=3&page_num=2.
6. Canon Law: A Text and Commentary. (1946). Bouscaren S.J., T. Lincoln and Adam C. Ellis, S.J. Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company. Pp. 368.
7. Code of Canon Law (1983). Vatican City Website. Accessed February 15, 2006 from URL: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P1.HTM.
8. “Forgotten man – Valentine’s Day originated from wise, caring bishop.” (2006) Caldwell, Simon. Accessed February 15, 2006 from: http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=18661.
9. “Bishop Antonio Rosario Mennonna.” Catholic Hierarchy. Accessed February 15, 2006 from: http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmennonna.html.
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. - 1 Tim 4:12.
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