Pastoral Closeness in Physical Distancing: The Use of Technology in Pastoral Ministry during COVID-19

Abstract

COVID-19 has posed immense challenges for society in general, and for those who work in healthcare in particular. The impact and burden of pandemic isolation on the emotional and physical welfare of patients and staff is well documented. Healthcare systems have come under unprecedented pressure as a result of the pandemic, alongside the imposition of isolation, visiting restrictions, and public health measures to curb the spread of this virus. For patients in hospital, isolation has been further compounded by the necessary use of personal protective equipment, which is a physical barrier to communication for both patients and healthcare staff. These restrictions have also impacted on how healthcare chaplains provide pastoral care to patients, their loved ones, and to colleagues. This article from the Republic of Ireland shares the experiences of healthcare chaplains in the provision of pastoral care through the use of virtual video-call technology by way of tablets and/or other mobile devices. This new approach has proved to be an innovative way of providing pastoral care while having to remain physically distant. Considering the well documented burden of isolation and the societal reality of quarantine, the use of technology is explored by healthcare chaplains with the aim of maintaining pastoral closeness and care.

Spiritual Support During COVID-19 in England: A Scoping Study of Online Sources

“…Our results point to a general recognition that patients were often left alone and the restrictions in place created tough conditions for them, their families and the organisations. In line with the recent WHO interim guidance (WHO, 2020 ), religious leaders, including chaplains, were unable to perform regular services and provide the same bedside spiritual support as pre-pandemic (Byrne & Nuzum, 2020 ; Cockell, 2020 ). The pandemic was considered as an extreme, unprecedented existential crisis, which caught health providers and the government unprepared in terms of a national strategy which had been well-rehearsed and could be initiated and adequately resourced.…”

Restricted religion. Compliance, vicariousness, and authority during the Corona pandemic in Switzerland

“…10 The parishes, on the other hand, had to face the challenge, that their usual ways of providing pastoral ministry were also impaired by the restrictions: As reports from different countries show (cf. Byrne and Nuzum 2020;Peng-Keller, Roser 2020), and as our exploratory and preliminary findings for Switzerland confirm, there was a heightened demand for 'pastoral closeness' (Byrne, Nuzum 2020: 207), but it had become more difficult to achieve.…”

"The Most Effective Experience was a Flexible and Creative Attitude"—Reflections on Those Aspects of Spiritual Care that were Lost, Gained, or Deemed Ineffective during the Pandemic

“…Of the new experiences described, those using different forms of technology had the highest number of references and were nominated as most effective. Unsurprisingly new literature is already emerging on the effectiveness of telechaplaincy (Byrne & Nuzum, 2020;Sprik et al, 2020), although not all of the new forms of spiritual care included technology as was apparent in the section above. Having gained a clear picture of what was new, in this section we are interested to explore why these experiences were effective.…”