Three Tongans seminarians sent back home

​Three seminarians have been forced to return to Tonga from Fiji due to drinking-related issues.

The students at the Roman Catholic Pacific Regional Seminary were sent home at the end of the last semester.

This is the second time in two years that three Tongan seminarians have been sent home.

Sources close to the Catholic Diocese of Tonga say that the head of the church in the kingdom, Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi, has been upset by the incident.

“He has called for an immediate review of preparations for candidates to the priesthood in the light of what has happened,” the source said.

“And the Cardinal also wants close supervision of the suspended seminarians to see whether they are fit to return to Fiji after the 12-month suspension.”

Of the three seminarians suspended last year, only one is expected to return next semester to the Pacific Regional Seminary in Suva.