Chaplain George A. Burn on chaplaincy without boundaries and borders

Respecting Differences While Celebrating Similarities

I recently returned from attending the European Network of Health Care Chaplaincy (ENHCC) meeting in Tartu Estonia and following the meeting, served as a member on the Certification Committee for chaplains in Latvia. I attended as a representative of the Association of Professional Chaplains as well as the Chair of the International Advocacy Committee. APC was officially represented by Josephine Schrader, the Executive Director, and Mary Whetstone, the President of APC.

Such high level dialogue has been growing between our two organizations over the past few years. We have come to respect the similarities in our respective missions as well as the difference in the way each of us practices pastoral care based upon the cultural, religious, and ethnic populations we serve. We have much to learn from each other.

In Tartu, 62 representatives from 23 European countries discussed the way end-of-life issues are faced within the context of their own countries and legal systems, including the practice of physician-assisted suicide in Holland. Chaplains provided presentations about their work with patients who faced those choices. Theological presentations from the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican perspectives about the sanctity of life contrasted markedly with the practices of chaplaincy in the trenches where “the rubber meets the road.”

Our informal times gave ample opportunity to get to know each other and the issues we face in our own lives.

European chaplains are growing in numbers, and are penetrating into countries that were formerly a part of the Soviet Union. The European Union (EU) has offered a framework in which spiritual care can be promoted as a standard of care throughout the continent. Father Stavros Kofinas and others from the ENHCC have had high-level discussions with representatives of the EU regarding the need to legitimize and underline spiritual care within the context of that new political union while acknowledging the differences within each country. One cannot speak about European chaplaincy, therefore, without speaking of the way each country defines it and the issues within their borders.

In Latvia, for example, chaplaincy is a growing entity. There are currently 25 chaplains serving in Latvia in a variety of settings. While sitting on the Latvian committee, I began to realize how clearly issues in the practice of pastoral care are influenced by the past. One third of Latvia’s population is Russian as a result of the post World War II occupation by that country. In the United States we talk about having good “boundaries.” On the certification committee in Latvia this term was translated having good “borders.” Pastoral Care in this setting means being multi-lingual, (Russian, Latvian, and German, and perhaps English as well) and having sensitivities to living with neighbors who were once the families of an occupying force).

This kind of understanding and the subtleties regarding the mix of people who have melted together as a result of conflict and the redefining of political boundaries is essential. Those who practice pastoral care in Europe have training via life experience that American chaplains have, fortunately, not had to deal with.

It is important that we continue our bridge-building efforts, to understand that the world we live in requires looking beyond our own borders, our own understanding of international relations, and the way we envision pastoral care to be practiced. I was deeply moved at the end of our certification committee process when I said, “I will send you the pictures I took of our meeting.” One of the chaplains who sat on the committee responded, “No, BRING them back!”

Such affirmation of goodwill is really at the heart of what needs to be achieved between our organizations across the globe. It is my hope that there will continue to be exchanges of information, sharing of experience, and an openness to learn from one another in the future. Having been to Europe for the second time at the ENHCC meeting, I cannot imagine that I could do it any differently. I look forward to seeing my friends in Europe again.

Do you have thoughts about advocacy you’d like to share with your colleagues? Send an e-mail to info@PlainViews.org.