EN
Although attending the priest seminary became absolutely obligatory only with the Council of Trent, it cannot be said that there had been no forms of preparation to the priesthood in earlier times. In the Middle Age, the candidates were generally prepared in the cathedral and monastic schools. Earlier, some kind of internship was envisaged, particularly by the functions performed while in lower grades. The monks were also seen as perfect candidates for ordination. However, it was always difficult to find the right balance between the pastoral needs for ordaining new clergy and the moral and intellectual qualifications required of them.