A trainee wizard who will eventually work for the church - 80s or 90s

Scant on details unfortunately. Definitely published pre-2003.

One of the early scenes is when as a boy, the MC sees a sorceress display her powers by commanding a bird to fly frantically into a tree.

The boy will commence training to learn magic in order to one day serve the church (possibly Protestant and maybe to defeat Catholicism). He seemed like a little smart ass and was pretty unfazed at the dead bird.

The cover I had was blue and featured a cloaked figured and ruins or towers.