Study finds gaps in psychological screening of priesthood candidates

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 25, 2025 / 06:00 am

The overwhelming majority of bishops and vocation directors expressed satisfaction with formation programs, according to a study analyzing how seminaries and dioceses screen candidates for holy orders. 

However, the study found gaps in evaluations related to learning disabilities and assessing tendencies toward “activity or inclination towards sexual activity with a minor or other trait that might indicate the person could be a harm to minors.”

The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University (CARA) conducted the study in collaboration with the McGrath Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame. It includes responses from 103 U.S. bishops plus roughly 33% of vocation directors, 59% of seminary rectors, 11 formators, and 59 mental health specialists. 

The June report, “Evaluating the Church’s Practices in Assessing the Suitability of Candidates for Holy Orders,” asked bishops and vocation directors to give their confidence levels about 28 “distinct areas” of formation at their seminaries. All categories of respondents said they believed psychological evaluations do not sufficiently screen for learning or developmental disorders or disabilities.

According to the report, bishops and vocation directors expressed the most certainty in “seminarians’ openness to growing spiritually,” with 55% to 59% expressing they were “very confident” in this area. Nearly 40% to 50% of bishops and vocation directors also expressed confidence in seminarians’ “regular engagement in self-reflection.” 

Bishops and vocation directors were least likely to say they have great confidence areas related to physical and mental health. Only 19% to 21% expressed confidence in “seminarians’ healthy management of one’s neuroses or minor pathologies.” Similarly, only 17% expressed confidence in “healthy living with medical concerns or physical limitations” among candidates for the priesthood.

Across the board, concern among bishops and vocation directors regarding how seminaries screen for learning disabilities is high, with only 16% to 17% of bishops and vocation directors expressing confidence in this area.

Rectors, formators, and mental health specialists likewise expressed confidence in areas of formation such as growing spiritually and regular self-reflection. About 32% to 43% expressed confidence in seminarians’ ability to seek treatment for mental health issues such as anxiety or depression, and the same percentage expressed confidence in seminarians’ ability to form healthy relationships with others. 

Only 8% to 22% of rectors, formators, and mental health specialists expressed confidence in formation among seminarians regarding “growth in understanding one’s sexual orientation,” and only 4% to 22% expressed confidence in formation regarding “healthy management of one’s unhealthy or addictive behaviors.” 

While 100% of rectors and 94% of formators and spiritual directors expressed belief that initial psychological evaluations were necessary to assess a candidate’s suitability for seminary formation, fewer than 3 in 5 bishops said these evaluations could predict how well a candidate might later function as a priest.