Dr. James Farris on pastoral care in a world of violence and fragmentation

A Report on the 8th World-Congress

The 8th World-Congress of the International Council on Pastoral Care and Counseling (ICPCC) took place in Krzyzowa, Poland, from August 7th to 14th, 2007. The theme of the World-Congress was “Treasure in Earthen Vessels: Care of Souls facing Fragility and Destruction – Individual and Systemic Perspectives.” The Congress was organized and led by Professor Dr. Ursula Pfafflin from Germany, former ICPPC President, and the Rev. Helmut Weiss, the Convenor of the Conference, along with an extensive International Organizing Committee.

The World-Congress was attended by more than 200 persons from 34 countries, and represented Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, Protestant, and Buddhist traditions. The underlying questions of Theological Anthropology and Care of Souls were deeply marked by reflections on Fragility and Destruction, and expressed the complexity of including visions from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Region. The various lectures, discussions, and workshops dealt directly with questions of what it means to be pastoral in a multicultural and diverse world that is confronted daily with violence and fragmentation.

One element that was clearly present in the Congress was the importance of recognizing that faith and religion never exist in a vacuum. Individuals and groups live and express their faith in day-to-day life. The themes of embodied spirituality and practice were constantly present, and their implications for what it means to be pastoral and to provide care were an ongoing topic of discussion. The underlying theme of Care of Souls was present throughout the Congress. Still, the discussion never ignored the reality of what it means to Care for Souls in the midst of the many systems that influence individual lives. One of the themes that marked the Congress was the need to integrate the traditional understanding of Care for Souls with the challenges of caring for and transforming social, economic, political, and religious systems.

The locale of the World-Congress, in Krzyzowa, Poland, reflected the tone of the Congress, and gave evidence to the power of place in all human experiences. Krzyzowa is a small town in the midst of a region that has experienced profound destruction of life, both in recent and ancient history. Yet it also represents a space of life and resistance. It was in Krzyzowa that various meetings of the Kreisau Circle, led by Helmuth James von Moltke and Peter Yorck von Wartenberg, took place. The group resisted, in various ways, the Third Reich, and sought to create new models for political and economic justice. The members of the group were discovered and executed, but their vision continued.

While this was a very important element in the climate of the Congress, the hospitality of the Krzyzowa Study Center and various public, political, and religious officials in Poland was impressive. The Polish hospitality was unforgettable. In Old Testament theology, one of the most important values is to receive and respect the stranger, or the “other.” The people of Poland received and valued the presence of the ICPCC, and its members from all parts of the world, in a way that can only be described as caring and respectful. They were, beyond question, good hosts. Without the hospitality that the members of the Congress received from the people of Poland, the honest and respectful dialogue that took place would not have been possible.

The space, hospitality, and theme profoundly affected the participants of the Congress. A wide variety of lectures, workshops, discussions, small groups, and spaces for devotion and worship offered opportunities to reflect on the identity, practices, and methods of care and counseling, and what it means to be pastoral in a world which constantly faces fragility and destruction. In its deepest moments, the Congress reflected honestly on the relation and responsibility of various religious traditions and individual actions and attitudes in relation to fragility, destruction, reconciliation, and healing. Perhaps the greatest contribution of the Congress was to deal honestly and openly with the challenges faced by pastoral caregivers in a world marked by diversity, fragility, destruction, and the hope and possibility of healing, resistance, and reconciliation.

The new President of the ICPCC is Prof. Dr. Nalini Arles, India.

The next ICPPC Conference on Pastoral Care and Counseling will be held in New Zealand in 2011. For more information consult the site www.icpcc.net.

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