{"id":230177,"date":"2026-06-29T02:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T00:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/?p=230177"},"modified":"2026-06-16T16:50:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T14:50:33","slug":"papa-leon-xiv-seminario-escuela-de-los-afectos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/papa-leon-xiv-seminario-escuela-de-los-afectos\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Leo XIV refers to the seminary as a \u00abschool of the affections\u00bb"},"content":{"rendered":"

During his meeting with thousands of seminarians at the Jubilee celebrated in Rome on June 24, 2025, the Pope Leo XIV<\/strong> He left behind a statement that has resonated deeply throughout the Church: \u00abThe seminary must be a school of the affections.\u00bb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was neither an off-the-cuff remark nor a passing comment. The Holy Father wanted to pinpoint the very heart of priestly formation: learning to love as Christ did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00abJust as Christ loved with a human heart, you are called to love with the Heart of Christ! To love with the heart of Jesus. But to learn this art, you must work on your inner self, where God makes his voice heard and from which your deepest decisions spring; yet it is also a place of tensions and struggles (cf. Mc<\/em> 7:14\u201323), which must be transformed so that every aspect of its humanity reflects the Gospel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step, therefore, must be taken within ourselves. Remember well St. Augustine\u2019s invitation to return to the heart, for there we find the traces of God. Going down into the heart can sometimes be frightening, because there are wounds there as well. Do not be afraid to tend to them; let others help you, because it is precisely from those wounds that the ability to stand alongside those who suffer will be born. Without an inner life, spiritual life is also impossible, because God speaks to us precisely there, in the heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God speaks to us in our hearts; we must learn to listen to Him. Part of this inner work also involves training ourselves to recognize the stirrings of the heart: not only the fleeting, immediate emotions that characterize the souls of young people, but above all their feelings, which help them discover the direction of their lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you learn to know your heart, you will become more and more authentic and will no longer need to wear masks. And the special path that leads us to inner life is prayer: in an age when we are hyperconnected, it is becoming increasingly difficult to experience silence and solitude. \u00bbWithout an encounter with Him, we cannot even truly know ourselves.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What does the Pope mean by \u201cschool of the affections\u201d?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Pope wanted to focus in particular on the human dimension of the priestly vocation<\/strong>. During the Jubilee for seminarians, he stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00abIt is important\u2014indeed, necessary\u2014to commit wholeheartedly to human maturation from the time of the seminary onward, rejecting any form of pretense or hypocrisy. With our gaze fixed on Jesus, we must learn to give a name and a voice even to sadness, fear, anguish, and indignation, bringing everything into our relationship with God.\u00bb.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

With these words, the pope Leo XIV<\/strong> he recalled that the seminar<\/a> It is not just a place of study or pastoral preparation. It is also the place where the future priest learns to truly know himself, to mature inwardly, and to lay his whole life before God. That is why he defined the seminary as an authentic School of Emotions<\/strong>: a place where the heart learns to love deeply, freely, and through the eyes of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Make the Pope's dream come true. Help train priests for the world.<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"haz<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To train priests who are capable of accompanying people<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Pope\u2019s words are particularly relevant today. Today, many people look to priests as people who know how to listen, who offer close companionship, and who speak about God from a real and human experience. This requires a comprehensive formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why the Church places such great emphasis on making the most of the time spent in the seminary: because it is not just a place to study or discern a vocation. It is a place to learn to be a pastor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A priest with a solid human formation can build bridges, better understand the wounds of his community, and bring people closer to Christ with greater sensitivity and depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"I invite you to invoke the Holy Spirit often, so that He may form within you a docile heart, capable of perceiving God\u2019s presence\u2014including by listening to the voices of nature and art, poetry, literature, and music, as well as the humanities. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you engage in the rigorous pursuit of theological study, be sure also to listen with open minds and hearts to the voices of culture, such as the recent challenges posed by artificial intelligence and those of the social networks<\/em>. Above all, just as Jesus did, learn to listen to the often silent cry of the little ones, the poor, the oppressed, and so many others\u2014especially young people\u2014who are searching for meaning in their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you take care of your heart through daily moments of silence, meditation, and prayer, you will be able to learn the art of discernment. This, too, is an important task: learning to discern. When we are young, we carry within us many desires, many dreams, and many ambitions. Our hearts are often overflowing, and we end up feeling confused. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, following the example of the Virgin Mary, our inner selves must be capable of cherishing and meditating. Capable of synballein<\/em>, as the evangelist Luke writes (2:19\u201351): put the pieces back together. Guard against superficiality and gather the fragments of life through prayer and meditation, asking yourselves: What does what I am experiencing teach me? What does this tell me about my journey? Where is the Lord leading me?\u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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