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Hospital pastoral care: angels of hope working for patients
On World Day of the Sick, Kathpress recognizes the important role of over 1,000 pastors in Austria who work 450,000 hours a year.
Hospital pastoral care: angels of hope working for patients
In Austria, over 1,000 pastors in hospitals and rehabilitation centers do valuable work to support patients and their relatives in difficult times. On the occasion of the “World Day of the Sick” on February 11th, it was announced that the 366 full-time specialists and 663 volunteers together work almost 450,000 hours per year kathpress.at reported. The main pastors are particularly active in Vienna and Upper Austria. These pastors emphasize that their work not only has a religious function, but also contributes to spiritual healing and the promotion of a holistic lifestyle.
Linz Bishop Manfred Scheuer describes hospital pastoral care as an essential part of the holistic treatment of patients and thanks everyone who is committed to this challenging role. He emphasizes that care and support in times of illness are a fundamental expression of Christian charity. In his message for the World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis also emphasized the important role of the medical professions, who act as “angels of hope,” and praised them for their commitment to caring for sick people.
Pastoral care in conversation
In an interview, pastor Bernd Keller said that the true task of pastoral care is not to give answers to questions that are not asked, but to accompany people and offer them a space for their inner questions. This form of support can significantly strengthen the mental well-being of the individual by allowing people to reflect on themselves and their life questions. According to Keller, it is crucial that every person deals with their fundamental life needs and questions of meaning. In this way, pastoral care becomes a tangible practice that has meaning far beyond the church.
Hospital pastoral care and general pastoral care are therefore not only recognized in hospitals, but also deserve greater appreciation in society. Both reports show how important it is to support sick people and their families in difficult times and to keep hope alive, which is particularly important in the context of the upcoming World Day of the Sick.