Pastoral Ministry

Pastoral Theology

In Pope Francis’s pastoral theology, “People come first.” (America Magazine, 2021). Pastoral Theology is a practical theology that cares for the souls (National Catholic Register, 2021). The Pope is using the “Field Hospital” approach in pastoral care like a Good Samaritan (Jarzembowski, 2020). The Lord Jesus Christ presented the meaning of the love of neighbor through the story of the Good Samaritan—”enjoins listeners to care for strangers in need, even at great personal cost (Alimi, 2020).”

In the US, Pastoral care covers “missionary endeavors, counseling, formation, support groups, ecological protection, and social justice (inclusive of war, the death penalty, and the migrant and refugee crises); however, the constant refrain has been rooted in tending the wounded and an accompaniment towards renewed health” (Jarzembowski , 2020).

In South Africa, van der Merwe (2020) discussed how the church responded to poverty, they were in recession when the pandemic hit their country that aggravated their situations in extreme proportions. Poverty is defined as “deprivations” and “inequality”- “lack of basic necessities”, “low levels of human dignity and social justice”.  The response of the church to poverty is “determined by our understanding of what the church is.”  In New Testament, the Greek word ecclesia is the term for church, which means “called out ones.” Gelder (2004) pointed double calling as being “called and sent.” Karl Barth identified this “action of God as the Missio Dei- church reaching out to the world in its suffering is not in the first place an action of the church but an attribute of the sovereign God who uses his church as an instrument in the world” (van der Merwe, 2020).

The image of Apostle Paul of the Church was a “body of Christ” made up of many “members” working together to glorify God. Giving up our racist and individualist illusions might lead us to actually live more as if ‘we’re all in this together.’ “Hyper-cooperators”, “social animals” and “social beings” were associated by anthropologists, philosophers, and theologians to Humanity. Human persons have the capability for empathetic understanding but Its dark side is racism where we “foreclose the extension of empathetic concern to those we perceive as other”.

Augustine gave exhortations on shared vulnerability. He argued the insufficiency of appealing to the wealthy “to give generously and emphasize the need and suffering of the poor.” They must recognize the fundamental equality in vulnerability and dependence on God.  Augustine highlighted “shared nakedness at birth, shared weakness at death, common sinfulness, all that might dismantle barriers to sympathetic identification.” (Alimi, 2020)

Personal and collective suffering was widespread in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, and many other places due to civil war, extremism, and terrorism. Kim (2020) stated that victims of war were vulnerable to be treated unfairly. These refugee crises were hammered when the photos of a three-year-old Syrian boy named Alan Kurdi were found lifeless on a Turkish beach (The Atlantic, 2016). Pope Francis speaks of “the globalization of indifference”- Being used to the suffering of others that we comfort them with cheap theological notions or turning our eyes away(Kim, 2020).

Pastoral Methods

On June 18, 2015, accompanied by a News conference, Pope Francis released the Laudatu Si (LS) that critiques post-modern world issues: “Pollution, waste and the throwaway culture, depletion of natural resources, fresh water issues, loss of biodiversity, breakdown of human dignity and society, and global inequality”. He is calling every Christian “to take up the commitment to creation set before us by the Gospel of Jesus”(Vatican, 2015). He made clear the pastoral methods he appropriated when he stated: “Realities are more important than ideas” (LS, Nos. 110, 201). Like Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI, he utilized the See-Judge-Act Method for theological reflection and review of current reality or signs of the times with the purpose of “transformative social action and justice”. The method was developed by Cardinal Joseph Cardijn rooted in Aquinas’ virtue of prudence. His method was advanced and improved by Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), liberation theologians, and North American practical theologians. Pope Francis starts by reviewing current scientific research (see), considering the principle of Judeo-Christian tradition (Judge), and progressing proposal for “dialogue and action” (Act), both on individual, collective or global level.

Science and religion in a time of COVID-19 can work together as allies. The Catholic Church affirmed the fact of evolution, Big bang theory, and the possible existence of Extraterrestrial (Barmania et al, 2020). Father Georges Lemaitre was a soldier, scientist, and Jesuit Catholic priest who was the “first to describe the expanding universe”. Modern and [Post-modern] audiences would recognize this as an early version of Big Bang theory(Haynes, 2018).

Templeton Prize awardee Francis Collins adheres to the values of both science and religion. the director of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) working all his waking hours finding a vaccine for COVID-19. He is a born-again Christian who wrote about how he transformed from atheism to Christianity.

Scholars of religion use empirical methods to assess the impact of religion in times of pandemics. Lucchetti et al (2020) used online surveys to assess 485 participants from Brazil their “socio-demographics, Religion/Spirituality measures, and social isolation characteristics and mental health consequences (hopefulness, fear, worrying and sadness)”.  Religion and spirituality are helpful coping mechanisms for social isolation in the times of COVID-19, and in “reducing suffering, influencing health outcomes and minimizing the consequences of social distance.” (Lucchetti  et al, 2020).

Brief RCOPE

There was a correlation between the increased use of religious activities, spiritual beliefs, and virtue of hope during the pandemic and better mental health outcomes. Pargament et al. (2000) developed Brief RCOPE and studied that religion plays a key role in searching for purpose, comfort, intimate relationship with God and others, and forgiveness, and believing in “God’s abiding presence during our difficult moments, collaboration with God in problem-solving”. Brief RCOPE is defined as “a 14-item measure of religious coping with major life stressors. It has demonstrated its utility as an instrument for research and practice in the psychology of religion and spirituality.” Del Castillo et al (2020) conducted the study on the reliability and validity of the Brief RCOPE in the Philippines. The results showed “that many Filipino Catholic youth used positive religious coping methods more frequently than negative strategies”. The positive strategies produced were from the seven subscales of the original RCOPE: “spiritual connection, seeking spiritual support, religious forgiveness, collaborative religious coping, benevolent religious reappraisal, religious purification, and religious focus”. The seven negative coping mechanisms were obtained from five subscales of the original RCOPE: “spiritual discontent, punishing God reappraisal, interpersonal religious discontent, demonic reappraisal, and reappraisal of God’s power.” The result of the study presented the “internal consistency” and “construct validity” of the Brief RCope (Del Castillo et al, 2020).

Interreligious Forms of the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRSi)

Del Castillo et al (2020) also studied the validity of the Interreligious Forms of the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRSi-7,CRSi-14, and CRSi-20). The results confirmed that “CRSi-7 denotes internal consistency while CRSi-14 and CRSi-20 indicate good internal consistency”. There were 514 Filipino youths who participated in the online surveys. 83.66% of the participants were Filipino Catholics while the rest were associated with other Christian denominations (10.7%) and other religions (5.64%). The CRSi has five subscales: “intellect, ideology, public practice, private practice, and religious experience.” Majority of the participants were religious (51.17%), others were highly religious (45.13%), and a marginal are not religious (3.70%). The study hammered the link between religion and mental health. The high mean score on ideology (M= 4.34) (SD=0.74) among the Filipino youth by remaining “steadfast on the views of actuality and substance of a transcendent truth while navigating the unchartered waters of COVID-19”. Dean et al (2020) argued that religion could offer “comfort” amidst pandemic outbreaks. Baker et al (2020) observed that COVID-19 changed the religious practice from physically present gatherings to socially distanced virtual religious rituals. This occurrence reflected in the “low mean scores of the selected Filipino youth on the CSRi-20 public practice dimension (M = 3.53. SD =0.94).” Most Filipino youths devoted themselves to personal prayer—as a positive coping strategy aligning with the high mean score on CSRi-20 private practice dimension scores (M =3.93) (SD =0.89) (Del Castillo et al, 2020).

In Poland, an online survey was conducted in April 2020 during the period of the Polish government’s strictest restrictions in response to the pandemic. The study presented that Pole who has “above average” religiosity tends to increase their faith and commitment under “uncertainty and danger.” The data presented that “every fifth Pole (21.3%) devoted more time to prayer and other religious practices than they did before the restrictions…and people who had previously practiced religion regularly and also declared more religious involvement during the pandemic were more satisfied with their lives (86.8%) than other people (73.2%) “(Boguszewski , 2020). 

Pastoral Care & Counseling

Catholic churches in the Philippines provided online-based masses, spiritual retreats and recollections, counseling, and pastoral guidance guiding brethren to find meaning and acceptance, refuge, hope, and rejuvenation. This initiative is inspired by the 3-fold mission of Christ as King, Prophet, and Priest. The church also provided personal protective equipment (PPE), facemasks to health workers, face shields, feeding programs to the poor, and opened the doors to the homeless (del Castillo et al, 2020). Bishop Mesiona of Palawan “cooked and prepared food packs for front liners, prayed over police personnel, visited patients and healthcare providers in the hospital, led various relief operations and have been raising substantial funds for outreach programs and for other social action concerns”. Their church initiated a mobile market, food packs to the indigenous groups, free rides, and providing shelter to stranded local tourists (Eliverä , 2020).

The church provides spiritual assistance both to the dead and the bereaved family members…Virtual memorial services, live streaming, and online eulogies are some of the creative ways to remember the dead.” (Corpuz, 2020)

To apply the “field hospital” approach in pastoral mission, there is a need to further research on virtual qualitative methods, shifted theoretical focus on lived religion, and civic action through catholic organizations and institutions (Baker et al 2020).

References

1. In Pope Francis’ pastoral theology, people come first. | America Magazine. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2021, from https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/pastor-his-people

2. The Science and Art of Pastoral Theology| National Catholic Register. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2021, from https://www.ncregister.com/blog/the-science-and-art-of-pastoral-theology

3.Jarzembowski, P. (2020). Mobilizing the field hospital: Pastoral care as a paradigm for ministry with young adults. Religions, 11(11), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11110617

4. van der Merwe, J. M. (2020). Poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic: A challenge to the church. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 76(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v76i1.6221

5.In Lesbos, Pope Francis Faces Refugees and the ‘Globalization of Indifference’ – The Atlantic. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2021, from https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/04/refugees-pope-francis-lesbos/477870/

6.Alimi, T., Antus, E. L., Balthrop-Lewis, A., Childress, J. F., Dunn, S., Green, R. M., … Stalnaker, A. (2020, September 1). COVID-19 and Religious Ethics. Journal of Religious Ethics. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1111/jore.12328

7.Kim, Y. H. (2020). Theodicy, undeserved suffering, and compassionate solidarity: An interdisciplinary reading of hwang sok-yong’s the guest. Religions, 11(9), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11090463

8. Laudato si’ (24 May 2015) | Francis. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2021, from http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

9. Barmania, Sima; Reiss, M. J. (n.d.). Religion and Science in a Time of COVID-19: Allies or Adversaries? – ProQuest. Retrieved December 24, 2020, from https://www.proquest.com/docview/2411641711/B893CCA3F6264B73PQ/153?accountid=207160

10. Haynes, K. (2018, October 13). The Jesuit Astronomer Who Conceived of the Big Bang | Discover Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/the-jesuit-astronomer-who-conceived-of-the-big-bang

11.Lucchetti, G., Góes, L. G., Amaral, S. G., Ganadjian, G. T., Andrade, I., Almeida, P. O. de A., … Manso, M. E. G. (2020). Spirituality, religiosity and the mental health consequences of social isolation during Covid-19 pandemic. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020970996

12. Del Castillo, F., & Alino, M. A. (2020). Religious coping of selected filipino catholic youth. Religions, 11(9), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11090462

13. Del Castillo, F., del Castillo, C. D., Aliño, M. A., Nob, R., Ackert, M., & Ching, G. (2020). Validation of the Interreligious Forms of the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRSi-7, CRSi-14, and CRSi-20): Salience of Religion among Selected Youth in the Philippines. Religions, 11(12), 641. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11120641

14.. Dein, S., Loewenthal, K., Lewis, C. A., & Pargament, K. I. (2020, January 2). COVID-19, mental health and religion: an agenda for future research. Mental Health, Religion and Culture. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2020.1768725

15.Boguszewski, R., Makowska, M., Bożewicz, M., & Podkowińska, M. (2020). The covid-19 pandemic’s impact on religiosity in Poland. Religions, 11(12), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11120646

16.Eliverä, E. S. (2020). Life and Churchlife During Pandemic: Bioethical Issues and Church Response in the Time of COVID-19. In MST Review (Vol. 22, Issue 1). https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/25/

17.Baker, J. O., Martí, G., Braunstein, R., Whitehead, A. L., & Yukich, G. (2020). Religion in the Age of Social Distancing: How COVID-19 Presents New Directions for Research. Sociology of Religion, 81(4), 357–370. https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/sraa039

18.Corpuz, J. C. G. (2020). COVID-19: spiritual interventions for the living and the dead. Journal of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdaa167